Jigokuen no Taka
by Legion'sKryme
Summary: Kakashi Hatake, a man powerful and skilled; a genius or prodigy among his fellow shinobi. When this young man comes upon something found in one of Orochimaru's abandoned labs, something not human, he decides to take her to his home. When told to raise her, turn her into a shinobi, he does as told. But what happens when as they both age, and there's a stirring in his gut?KakashiXOC
1. Chapter 1

_Okay! So this is one of my newest stories: Jigokuen no Taka. There is mature content as there is in all my stories, and it can be a bit dark here and there. However as far as I remember (as I finish writing the story and then post the chapters as I please) there's not a lot of things that are too bad. Juuuuust to be safe though it'll be rated M. **I'll say this once and only once: I DO NOT own Naruto or any of the cannon occurrences. The only ones I DO own are Cross, everything pertaining to her and her abilities, and the three OCs side characters that will show up later...As well as some other non-cannon nonsense. ** Now, with that out of the way, might I just say that you should feel free to comment as you please. Hate it, flame away, I don't care. If you love it though, spread the word! All in all, I hope you Enjoy!_

**Chapter 1: A True Beginning of Life**

It's cold in here. Always. Always cold, and always dark. Why? Why is it always cold and always dark? I don't understand. Was I bad? I didn't mean to be bad! I'm a good girl! I want out! And yet...And yet I can't get out! No matter what I do! Every now and then I'll hear voices. Voices saying who is useless and who isn't. Voices telling other voices that I'm doing well and that though the process is slow, it's worth it. The voices haven't been around for a good while though. I wonder where they went? Last I heard them, they were hurried and the bossy one was really angry.

Every day, I look down at my hands, finding them bigger every time I look. Maybe it's not days that I look? Maybe it's years? Or months? I don't know. Today, the dark prison that I float in is fogged over. Not that I ever try to look out the glass. So...Maybe the glass has always been that way? I look down at my hands for the umpteenth time. My hands are the only thing I can really look at. On these hands of mine are claws made of bone. They can retract or grow, but they never ever go away for good. They sprout from the tops of my wrists, and each claw covers the bones of my fingers from on top of the skin like some sort of armor. They follow the bone up the finger in its entirety, and then at least double my finger's length. I don't know what the rest of me looks like, but I hope that one day I'll know, and that I'll be really pretty.

…...What was that?! My head whips to the side as fast as it can to my left. What I see is something pointy shoved through the glass of my prison and slowly letting the water out. But it's not at a pace that's too fast for me to comprehend what's going on. There's a bright flash to my right, getting rid of the darkness that I see so well in, and making me jolt back in surprise. There's another flash, and then something happens that I'm not to happy to see. The glass of my prison, that is my prison in general, begins to crack. The water now spills out at a faster pace. And soon enough, I find myself sitting at the bottom of my prison, taking in my first ever breath of air. Or...I'm pretty sure it's my first breath of air. Luckily, there's no more flashes of light. What I do see, though is the glass of my prison falling away large piece by large piece. I blink multiple times, and my eyes widen as a certain piece falls from my eye level and I see what's going on.

I feel my eyes widen as I watch what's going on. There in front of me, taking up most of the vision that widens little by little, is a giant white monster. It looks clumpy...Made of some sort of white worm. It's head has hair and looks like a giant triangle. A sharp object is thrown at the monster, but instead of hitting it, it simply goes through the monster, and hits my prison. I yelp and fall back as the pointy thing almost hits me, my back slamming into the back of my prison for a second time. I groan in pain. That really hurt! I open my eyes only for them to widen and my mouth to open up in a silent scream. The monster sees me! Oh god! I hear a whimper escape my lips as I curl in on myself, an attempt to protect myself as the monster's jaw opens nice and wide.

"Run!" I hear a voice tell me. Where am I supposed to run to?

Don't hurt me monster! Please! I can't let out more than another whimper as the monster comes at me, and next thing I know I'm in the dark again. I slide down something slimy, and then stop after a moment or two. My closed tight eyes open up, and I let out another whimper. Everything is dark here, but I can see perfectly fine, as though I were in the light. That's how it was in my prison: dark but I could see perfectly fine. Here, I don't want to see perfectly fine though. It's slimy and squishy and I don't like it. Let me out! Let me out, please! Please! I'm a good girl! I didn't do anything wrong! Out! I want …...OUT! Suddenly, there's a rush of what I figure to be power. It's something I've never felt before, and it makes me feel strong. But I don't care right now. All I want is out! I hear a quick squelching and tearing sound, and suddenly nothing is so scary any more. I look around, seeing not my prison, but the room that I saw through the cracks in my prison. For the most part, it's laced with other glass prisons, but they're all empty. There are two big prisons to my right, both of them are broken open. But I can't tell which one is my own. I look up to see nothing but wires and other stuff that I'm not sure what they are. I look down and at my hands. They're covered in red stuff that smells funny. In fact...All of me is covered in red stuff. It's kind of sticky.

"Hey," I hear a voice call to me and yelp, looking finally at the black hand before me. It's bigger than my own, but not by that much. I think. "Hey, take my hand," the voice tells me. My eyes trail up the hand that leads also to a black arm. There's a thing strapped around the arm and then by the time I make it to the top of the arm, there's no black or silver. Instead there's skin a bit paler than my own. There's two swirly marks on this arm, and I follow the top of the arm to the neck. It's covered in black too. So is the face up to the nose. There's a thing, I'm not sure what it is, around the person's forehead, holding back spiky silver hair. My eyes meet a black one, and a red one. The red one looks especially pretty, even if there is a scar over it. "Come on now, take my hand will you?"

"Kakashi, let's just go!" Another voice shouts out. "I failed my mission and yours has been put on hold. Leave her and let's go!" My head whips in the direction of this speaker, only to yelp a bit. He's in all black, and like the silver haired one he's wearing things around his arms...There's a thing over his chest too that goes over his shirt. His face though...That's what scares me. It's...It's porcelain white, its eyes aren't eyes and it has no mouth. There's markings on its white skin. I let out a whimper, and begin to try and scooch away from the weird being.

"Be quiet Kinoe," the silver one tells the blank faced monster, "You're scaring her". His pretty black and red eyes look back at me, "Please, take my hand. I'll take you somewhere safe". I do nothing. How can I know that I can trust the pretty eyed stranger? "If it helps...My name's Kakashi. I want to take you somewhere safe. Will you come with me?" This time, his voice is less harsh than the other two times. It's soothing and welcoming. I stare at his pretty eyes for a moment longer, before putting my clawed one in his. "That's a good girl". He pulls me up to my feet, and then picks me up, I snuggle to his chest. I'm a good girl! He called me a good girl! I can't help but smile. I close my eyes, and let Kakashi take me where he pleases. That is, until after we're out of the room he begins to stumble and he falls. I fall out of his arms and roll to a stop a foot or two away from him.

"Kakashi?!" The emotionless one questions worriedly, picking up Kakashi and leaning him against a wall. What's wrong with him?

"Damn," Kakashi grumbles out. "The gas that was released as we were leaving must... have been ….poisoned...," he falls silent. From my spot, I watch as he becomes more and more still. The emotionless one, Kinoe, Kakashi called him moves quickly, putting a hand into a pouch on his hip and pulling out a small glass prison, holding some sort of liquid and a point at the end. What's he doing? Are there little people in there that will fix Kakashi? I guess so, because after the pointy prison was taken away, Kinoe's body seemed to calm down. However, then he started to do something that he shouldn't of. He took up a short pointy thing, like the one that entered my prison and made the small crack. He crouches next to Kakashi, and opens the eye with the scar over it to show the pretty red one. He points the thing at the pretty eye. That doesn't look safe at all!

"Nai!" I scream, picking my body up and running at the boy, my body crashing into his and sending us sprawling. We stop with a skid, and I'm quick to get up to my feet and crouch in front of Kakashi. Time to be brave. Kakashi is nice to me! I can't just let him get hurt! Even I know what pain is. I can't talk...I think...But I'm not stupid.

"Ugh...What the hell?" Kinoe gets up shaking his head. His mask turns to me and he stands. "What was that for?!"

"Nai!" I scream again, this time more determined and less frightened. I have to be brave! "Kakashi!" I tell him. Hopefully that'll show that I don't plan on letting him hurt Kakashi.

"Move to the side, girl. I have a mission to complete," what's a mission? Why does he sound unwilling at the sound of 'have'?

"Kakashi," my body lowers itself in front of him lowly. My small fingers are splayed to make the claws more dangerous. "Nai. Kakashi".

Kinoe shakes his head, "Are you telling me to not hurt him or something? Speak properly".

If only I could. The words of 'protect' and 'kill you before you him' or something like that are on the tip of my tongue. But the only words my mouth will form are some form of 'no' and Kakashi's name. "Kakashi. Nai. Nai nai nai!"

Kinoe sighs. "That's what I thought...Fine," he sighs again before slumping. He then puts his hand in a different pouch this time, and pulls out a dark prison and a stick with a soft end. There's flat stuff too. Paper? I watch as he swiftly writes something down and then hands me the paper. "Give this to Kakashi when he wakes up. By then I'll be gone. He'll be awake in about ten minutes". Like I know what a minute is. I'm smart for not knowing basically anything, but I'm not that smart. Still, he sighs again, "Thank you...For stopping me from hurting him. He's my friend but...I'm confused. I have to go".

I listen carefully. Confused? About what? He stands, and he leaves at a swift pace, not giving me a chance to try and ask why he was confused. Still, I have no choice but to sit and wait. However as I do so, I find the ground before me rather cold. When I look down, I yelp. I have no clothing! That means that Kakashi and Kinoe saw me naked! My mind tells me that that's not right. I feel something on my back move, and wrap around me protectively. What I see are two large- compared to my body- wings. They're rough and scaly, but they're not ugly or anything. In fact, while the skin between the bones is thin, and looks kind of see through, it's hard to the touch and yet flexible as well. The skin covering the bone is even rougher, and harder, stronger. I smile. I'm familiar with these wings. I discovered them a long time ago. They're black like the darkness I can see so well in. Around my left ankle wraps something long and made of the same feeling as my tail. I look down and see my tail, smiling at it. Like my wings are big, my tail is long when compared to my body, and the tip of it is deadly like that pointy thing Kinoe had. My tail is strong too.

"Ngh," I hear a grumble, and I look up from my ankle to see Kakashi moving around, which makes me happy.

"Kakashi!" I smile out.

"Huh?" He looks to me, but only sees me, "Where's Kinoe? That other person I was with. Where is he?"

I pout. Is he not happy to see just me? Still, I look down at the paper that was given to me, and my wings open up. "Sah," I tell him, trying to get his attention. It works. He takes the paper, and I close my wings around me again so he doesn't see my naked body more than he already did. "...Kinoe...This isn't good! Come on, get up! We have to go!" We do? I don't question him, getting up and letting him pick me up. As soon as he does, we rush off at a speed I had never felt before. This I know for sure.

I don't get a chance to take in the sights and smells that amaze me as we make it into a place with many people all over the place. No. Instead, Kakashi rushes passed all the interesting stuff and takes us to a tall building. It's in front of a mountain- directly in front of it- and surrounded by a decently tall wall and that wall has something of a roof to make it harder to climb, and it has a door way too. Kakashi though, being the way he is, easily jumps over the wall and through the doors of the building. The building itself is a giant circle with what looks to be three levels. On the outside, the walls are red, and at the top there's a roof with an edge of orange on it, like with the wall around the building but no pointy top- the top of the building is fat. The inside of the building is mostly white from what I can see, the floors and walls and pillars. We run passed a woman behind a wooden table thing despite the fact that she says that we have to wait. We run up stairs, and then through another hallway. This hall's floors and walls are also white, but there's windows all over the wall to Kakashi's left. We stop at a pair of green doors.

"Senpai? What's the rush? Who's the girl?" A girl, standing guard at these green doors questions. Kakashi doesn't listen to her questions, and rushes into the room. "Wait! Senpai! You can't just barge in!" The girl tells him as Kakashi does just that.

"Hokage-sama!" Kakashi stops himself, skidding as he does so. "I have returned from my mission; which must be put on hold. It's Danzo. He sent Kinoe after me to kill me! But he didn't! He stopped himself and returned to Danzo; he's going to report that he failed! Who knows what's going to happen to him. You have to help him!"

The man before Kakashi and I is obviously aging if the lines on his face are of any sign. Though his hair is a medium brown and his skin is darkly tanned. His robes are white and red, and before him is a stick with a soft end and some paper. "Kakashi...It has been agreed that I will not interfere with Ne...However...In this situation it cannot be helped it seems". His eyes fall onto me, pausing in his writing. He puts the stick down, and hands the paper to the girl. "Yugao. Take this to Danzo; it is a summons for him to report to me immediately. Go now".

"Yes sir!" The girl nods. Now that I get a look at her, she's pretty. She wears the same thing Kakashi and Kinoe wear. And like Kinoe she has a scary face with red markings on it, which she slips in front of her real face before taking off. So...It's just a mask then? Kinoe has a real face too? I wonder what it looks like? She leaves quickly.

"Kakashi. Quickly, explain to me who this girl is. Did she come from that hide out?" The old man questions.

"Yes sir," Kakashi states, "As you can see she is most likely one of his many experiments. She also seems strong. She can't really talk, but by the way she acts I don't think she has any major issues understanding things. She just needs to learn how to talk again".

"Does she have a name?"

"No sir," Kakashi answers.

"I see...Take her and yourself and get patched up at the hospital. I will see to it that things are taken care of with the Ne situation". The old man states.

Before I know it, Kakashi is taking off again. However, he stops on a roof top and sets me down, "Give me a second," he tells me. Like the good girl he said I am, I do as I'm told. He makes some funny symbol with his hands and fingers, and then poof! There's another him in front of me. That him picks me up, and looks to the first him. How'd he do that? I can't stop staring at the Kakashi that now holds me. "Take her to the hospital and get her checked out. Stay with her as much as you can; we don't know what she's capable of and we don't want her accidentally hurting anyone". The original tells the copy.

"Yes sir!" The copy nods before looking down at me, "Now listen to me. You need to be a good girl no matter what the people I'm taking you to see do. They're good people, like I am, and they won't try to hurt you. If they do hurt you, they don't mean it. Understand?" He talks gently to me as he moves towards a large white building. Like the red one where the old man was, this one has a wall around it. But there's no roof on this wall.

"Ah!" I beam to him, happy that he's just bothering to explain things to me.

"Good girl," I see his two eyes crinkle in a smile to me, and I can't help but smile brighter. I'm a good girl! Kakashi lands in front of two glass doors that open up for him without him touching him. The inside of the building smells funny, and like the other building the floors and walls are white. But this floor is shinier than the other floor. Kakashi's shoes make a funny noise with every step. Around us are chairs and openings that lead to hallways. However, we go to a wooden table thing. "I need this girl thoroughly examined by a higher up doctor; orders from the Hokage".

The woman behind this wooden table is dressed in all white, a little hat on her head with a red cross on it. Her eyes are green and her hair is blonde. "Very well. Kyuzo-sensei is currently open; she can go to him for examination". She walks from behind the table and motions for Kakashi to follow, which he does. We walk through one of the many openings on the walls of this room, and as I thought, they lead to hallways. These hallways have rooms connected by the looks of things, doors and numbers next to these doors that are closed are all I see. We travel for a little while until there's a knock. "Sensei. You have a patient sent by Hokage-sama himself". The woman speaks through the door.

"Hokage-sama sent him? Very well, send him in," a causal voice speaks up. The woman opens the door and Kakashi walks in. The man I see is dressed in clothing of varying tints of white. His shirt looks to be long sleeved and a medium gray. His pants are light tan, and there's a long white coat covering all of this with short sleeves. His face is scruffy, and a stick that smokes is hanging from his lips. His hair is black and shaggy, his eyes are dull blue and tired looking. "What's this? Kakashi...Who do you have here?" He looks to the nurse, "Prepare examination room five".

"Hai," the woman nods and leaves.

The man stands to his feet, Kakashi, explain to me what's going on. Then we'll start the examination".

"I was sent on a mission involving a found base that once belonged to you know who," Kakashi states, "I found this girl, and after getting her to take my hand it seems she's taken a liking to me. She doesn't have a name, but as you can see she's most likely an experiment. She can't talk well, but she obviously isn't stupid. She understands what we're saying, and she seems to understand what most things are. Or at least she has the ability to see new things and relate them to things she's seen before".

"I see...And what of yourself? You look hurt," the doctor states, and we begin moving again.

"I'm just a clone, but the original is fine. He's off doing something else for Hokage-sama," Kakashi explains in short. There's another amount of traveling that we do. But when we do make it to our destination, I'm a bit frightened. There's a metal moving tray covered with pointy metal sticks and pointy glass prisons. And things I don't exactly know what they are. The room itself is very bright, and it hurts my eyes slightly, but it's nothing that I can't deal with if I must. In the middle of the room is a flat thing that looks rather soft. Attached to it are metal open loops.

"Nai," I whine to Kakashi as he moves to put me down on the squishy thing. I don't want him to let me go.

"I have to put you down. Remember, these people are nice," Kakashi tells me. "Be a good girl and let go of my neck".

I stare into black and red eyes before sighing. If it's to be a good girl for him..., "Ah...," I trial off and release the hold I had taken to when he tried to put me down the first time. This time I don't fight, and I let the doctor move me as he needs. I'm not too happy about my nakedness being shown not only to Kakashi again, but now this stranger, but I have to be a good girl or else Kakashi might get upset with me. And I don't want that. I force my wings and tail to relax as gently metal loops are closed around my limbs so that they're held down and out of the way.

"Alright," the doctor begins. His hands form funny symbols swiftly, as though fiddling with his hands or something. They begin to glow, and then run over my body. They don't touch me, which I'm happy with, but still it's odd to watch. "This process is going to take a while, Kakashi. If you want to report to your original, do so. However, simply because she likes you and I don't want to cause any trauma, please come back as soon as possible".

Watch as Kakashi, whom had moved to lean on a wall a little bit away from me, pushes off the wall with a nod. "Alright," His eyes land on me, "Be a good girl. I'll be back in a little bit". I give nothing but a small nod, and watch as he makes his way out of the room. In order to keep myself calm, I close my eyes, can clear my mind. This eventually allows me to fall into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_Alright, so second installment of Jigokuen no Taka. I think What I'll do is put up three chapters at a time, because there are a lot and as said this is already completed on my computer so the only waiting you guys will have to deal with is if I'm busy or not. Anywho, please enjoy! _

**Chapter 2: Lesson Number One**

Kakashi's POV

I sigh as I walk my way back to the hospital, though this time I'm not with a passenger. Instead, I'm walking at the Hokage's side. I really do hope that the girl decided to be good due to my clone's orders. It'd be a real problem if something happened and she acted out.

"Kakashi," Hokage-sama speaks up, "Before we enter the hospital and go see our new friend, I have to say this. Should she appear stable, I will be putting her under your care. You are to teach her to talk, take care of herself, and if she can how to use chakra. Until she is deemed fully functional, she will also stay at your home. You have too rooms at your apartment, no?" I give him a nod. "Very good. Do you understand this long term duty?"

"Yes sir. But what if I'm called out to a mission?" I question.

"You will remain with just this duty until she is at least able to talk and dress herself, if not prepare simple foods for herself," Hokage-sama answers. By the time he's done talking, we've already made it to the room in which the girl will be staying. We've been told that Kyuzo-sensei is already in that room and waiting for our arrival. "Oh," Hokage-sama stops before opening the door, "And think of a name. We can't just call her 'hey you' all the time". Me? Why me?

Upon entering, I hear the sound of a heart monitor as well as the sound of gentle and calm breathing. Kyuzo-sensei stands from the chair he has set next to the closed window, looking at the sun as it finishes its duty of setting upon the village. "Ahh Hokage-sama, welcome," he greets and nods to me as well.

"It's good to see you, Kurogo-kun," Hokage-sama greets with a calm smile. He walks to the side of the bed, while I occupy the other side to look down at the girl who now lays in bed with a hospital gown on her person. "What have you found out about our guest?"

"She's definitely of Orochimaru's work, sir," the doctor begins, "One of the few master pieces that he's managed to make. However, those were all literal beasts, chimeras. This girl however, while not human, is no beast". Not human? "Her DNA is of an unknown species despite her human physic. However," he turns and picks up a book from under the chair he was sitting on, and opens it up to a dog eared page. Hokage-sama and I come to look over his shoulder and at the picture he shows us. It is of a beautiful woman, dressed scantily in black clothing that looks to be leather. Her figure is beautiful even to my young and inexperienced with the opposite sex eyes. Her hair is long and flowing, her mouth slightly parted to show two fangs, and her eyes are made to look at whomever is looking at the picture hungrily. However, that's not what I'm paying attention to. Instead, my eyes are drawn to the wings on the woman's back, as well as the long claws that sprout from the beds of her finger nails. The nameless girl's claws sprout from her wrists, but they are still rather long. Seemingly sprouting from her rear is a long tail. I leave Kyuzo-sensei's side, and look the girl over. She has the wings, and the tail, and the claws...What of the fangs? Gently, careful to not wake her up, I lift up her upper lip. Lo and be hold, there are two fangs in her mouth. I look to the doctor. "This woman here is the same as I believe this girl to be based off of. A succubus. A demon of ancient myth and said to be something of a sexual vampire; luring men into having sex with them to impregnate them and continue their race, and then take the life of the man through a kiss. As this picture is, they're said to be captivating women. While this girl isn't human, I do not think she is a succubus but instead simply based off of one as I said". He pauses to let questions come if need be. When neither I nor Hokage-sama ask, he continues. That's her physical attributes. In terms of chakra, the pool that lays in her is massive; an ocean is the best way for me to describe it. She is only a child, and yet she has a well of chakra that could be compared to Kisame Hoshigaki". You've got to be kidding me. "Mentally she is stable; she just needs to learn how to take care of herself and how to talk again. Two things I highly doubt will take long due to the fact that she's not stupid, she just has to remind her mouth how to form words. Lastly, she seems about thirteen years old, two years younger than yourself Kakashi".

"I see...Very good Kurogo-kun," Hokage-sama nods out, eyes lain on the girl. His eyes then fall to my frame, "You know what you must do then". I nod.

"Kurogo-kun, she's okay to be discharged, correct?"

"Yes sir," he answers.

I take that as the okay and begin to gently pull the IV needle out of her arm, and begin to take off anything else that's been placed on her body such as something to monitor her heart. "I've figured out a name for her," I tell the men, turning their attention to me. By now, I finally have my Sharingan covered, and I can feel the drain it normally puts on me pulsing through my body. "Cross". I don't know why I've chosen that name. However, I've never heard of that name belonging to someone else, and she's something I've never seen before. Something new with something new.

"Cross," Hokage-sama repeats, "It's a fitting name for the girl. Why don't you get yourself and Cross-chan home? You should begin her lessons tomorrow".

"Hai," I tell him. As the village's leader opens the room's window for me, I put a foot on the ledge before taking off and traveling by roof top. This way, it takes me little to no time at all to get home, and soon enough I am walking through my front door, closing it with a foot, and looking around. My apartment is a simple place, having a living room with gray carpeting, a matching couch and a medium toned coffee table in front of it. It's attached to the kitchenette which also holds a table to dine at, white tiling, simple wooden counter tops and just as simple cabinets. From the living room is a simple hallway that goes straight for a few feet and then branches off to the left and right. Right in front of the end of this hallway is a bathroom of average size with white tiling, white counter top and sink, toilet and a standing shower. The room that is in the hallway to the right is my room. The one to the left is the empty room that will now be Cross'. I take that left, and manage to open the door after shifting the apparently thirteen year old girl in my fifteen year old arms. The room is based off of tones of golds, just as the living room was based off of simple gray tones. The bed is as simple as they come but it's pretty comfy by the looks of it. The carpet is an eagle eye's gold, reminding me of Cross' own orbs. The walls are that of a washed out gold, but not yellow. The covers of the blanket are the only thing that's not gold, going for simply being an off white. Three's a closet and a dresser for her to use when we actually have clothing for her- which we should get tomorrow- and there's a desk that she'll probably use when she's working on reading and writing after the lessons I've given her. Lastly there's a full body mirror on the back of the closet door. I sigh through my mask. How I'm standing, I don't know. I'm too tired to do anything really. I put the girl under the covers before leaving, closing the door behind me, and heading to my room. My room is simple like Cross'. With a tan carpet and white walls and a bet with green blankets, there's a desk in the corner of the room just under the window, and there's a nightstand next to my bed which sits across from the dresser and closet. The only thing I bother to do is kick off my sandals and slip off my hitai-ate before slipping under the covers myself.

Cross' POV

When I wake up, I'm no longer naked, nor am I in that all white room that Kakashi left me in. This worries me slightly. Did the old man decide to hand me off to some stranger? I don't want to be with some stranger! I want to be with Kakashi! And no one but! I sit up and look around the room, taking in the different golden tones of the place. It's nice. The nicest I've ever been in as far as I know at least. I continue to investigate. I'm on a squishy thing, which I'm pretty sure is called a bed, but as mentioned before it's not the same one from before. I push the covers off of my small frame and find my way to stand on the floor. It's nice and soft, and it keeps my toes warm. The sensation makes me smile. There's a wooden table thing not far from my bed, and then there's another one, this time with boxes in it, next to another door. Next to the box holder, I see...Myself? What? I walk forward, and the picture of myself does the same. This spooks me, making me stumble backwards. The picture does the same. My brows furrow and I make my way onto all fours in order to more closely inspect the copying picture. However, another door suddenly opens and I'm spooked again. I try to stand up to my feet, but stumble and end up on my butt like the klutz I apparently am. The person I see holding the door open is someone who makes me very happy, "Kakashi!" Beam. I don't see his red eye, but that's okay, I know it's covered up for whatever reason. He's dressed differently this time, wearing long pants like last night, but this time his shirt is a dark blue- almost black with swirls on the upper arms. He's still wearing that mask around his face, making me only able to see a singular dark eye.

"Oh," he lazily speaks, "You're awake". A hand goes to the back of his head. "Good...I guess".

"Ah!" Yes! It is good to be awake! That way I know you're real. I had a dream that I was still in my glass prison. I didn't panic though, because Kakashi told me to be a good girl. If I panicked, then something bad would happen and then I'd be a bad girl. Then, I remember the picture that he distracted me from. "Su?" I question. Hopefully he can understand that until I learn how to talk, that's how my mouth forms the word 'what'.

"'Su'...?" He looks at me before following my pointing finger to the copy picture. "Oh," he states, walking further into the room and standing next to me. Amazing! The picture can copy more than one person! "That's called a mirror. It gives off something called a reflection when something stands in front of it. Right now it's reflecting me and you".

"...Ah," so that's what a mirror is. I stand to my feet, collecting my weight onto them and fully stabilizing myself. With the help of the mirror, I finally get to see what I look like. The first thing I see are my eyes. They're gold. That's the name of the color that comes to my mind. Not only that, but molten gold. My skin is pale like Kakashi's, something I notice almost right away. Hair is a color I've never seen a person's hair color be, be it from those we passed on the way to the old man's place or the doctor place, or simply from memories that I have no recollection of making. Still, it's not light blue, nor dark blue, bur more like something in the middle. The gown I wear is nothing but white.

"Well...We've got a lot to do today. Do you want breakfast? That's the first meal of the day," Kakashi offers. "And then we'll really get a start on the day".

"Su?" What are we gonna do today I wonder?

"There's that 'su' thing again...Is that supposed to mean what or something?" He ruffles his hair. "I'm gonna teach you how to be a person basically. You know, read, write, talk, cook, everything you'll need to know if you ever need to protect yourself. I'm gonna teach you the way of the shinobi too. Shinobis are people like me and Kinoe; we fight to protect our home and to make it money".

I don't quite get all that he's told me, but for the most part I understand, "Ah," I tell him to show him that I get it. He nods to me, and motions for me to follow him. I do so, and he leads me into a room that looks like it's two in one. One side is made of tones of gray, and the other with white. I don't bother to try to figure out what is what, seeing as I figure I'll learn that another time. He pulls out a chair for me, and then moves on to sit in his own. I follow the motion of sitting, sitting forward on it so that my wings aren't uncomfortable. In front of me are three white and black triangles that sit on a plate. I look at them curiously, and then look to Kakashi for guidance. However, his are gone already. How did he do that so quickly. "Su?" I question.

"They're rice balls. You eat them with your hands". I do, picking one up and biting it from the side only to get rice basically everywhere, as well as the filling that apparently was inside. Bit by bit I pick up the rice pieces. I look to him with an innocent tilt of my head. "...Eat the top first. That makes them less messy".

"Ah!" So that's how you do it! It's not long until breakfast is over and we're headed out of the building. Fortunately, Kakashi didn't me just walking around in a hospital gown, so he let me borrow a gray shirt and a pair of shorts and a belt. Everything is baggy on my smaller frame, but it'll have to do. As we go along the streets, I realize that no one has wings like myself, nor a tail. It makes me a bit self conscience, and therefore I furl my wings to my back as much as I can, and my tail remains wrapped around my waist. Otherwise, I wear I smile the entire time we're out of his home, my eyes looking this way and that. There's so many things and places and people to see! I see big people and small ones my size and even smaller all about. Kakashi says the big ones are adults, and that we'll be adults when we're older. He says he's fifteen, and I'm thirteen years old. That apparently means that I'm two whole years younger than he is. The ones smaller than he and I are called children. We were once children ourselves according to him.

"This is going to suck...Getting a girl clothing. I don't even know if she needs a bra or something...That won't be fun," I hear Kakashi mumble as we walk through the crowded streets. I just trail behind him as he pulls me along by my hand. He's apparently holding my hand so that I don't get lost.

There's a casual chuckle from not far from us, and I look to my right. Who I see is the girl from the night before. Like Kakashi, she's not wearing the same thing she did the night before. Instead, she's wearing a red shirt with short sleeves and black pants. "That's why Hokage-sama sent me to give you a hand, Senpai".

Kakashi and I stop, and I can hear the relief in his voice, "He thinks of everything, doesn't he?"

"He's not the village leader for nothing," she chuckles out. That old man from last night is their leader? But he's so old. I watch as the girl's eyes land on me, and a light smile spreads across her face. "Hi," she greets me, offering a hand to me, "I'm Yugao. I'm a friend of Kakashi's". She is? Then I guess she's nice. I look at her hand for a moment before taking it, thinking that she's gonna lead me along as well. However, she shakes our hands up and down a few times. "That's was called shaking hands," she tells me as I give her a clueless look, "Strangers do that upon greeting each other more often than not". She now looks to Kakashi, "Does she have a name yet?" Yes I do. Kakashi gave it to me.

"Ask her," Kakashi states, looking to me as I let go of Yugao's hand, "I told her it this morning. She managed to learn how to say it pretty quickly". It's true. After my second rice ball, he told me of how he was told to give me a name, and that he decided on it. It took me a couple tries to get it, but I did get it down.

Yugao's eyes now land on me, and I offer her a friendly fang filled smile, "My...Nam...Is...Cross," my mouth works to form the words, but I get them out easy enough.

"Cross huh? What a pretty name for a pretty girl! You know, I'm told you're about thirteen; just a year younger than me," Yugao tells me. "What do you say to coming with me and getting some real clothing? We'll leave Kakashi to get some different stuff for you and then later we'll meet up with him. Okay?"

Kakashi meets my gaze with his own, and lets go of my hand, "You go with Yugao, Cross. She'll take good care of you. Understand?"

All day, ever since Kakashi taught me to tell people my name, I've been paying close attention as to how words are formed. I can't see how his lips move under his mask, but I'm lucky enough to be able to figure out how the sounds are made for each word. I will learn how to talk properly. I don't want to be talked to as though I were some animal my whole life. "Un-der-sta-n-d," I tell him with a nod and a smile. I see his eye crinkle upwards, showing me a small smile which makes me proud of myself. I let Yugao take my clawed hand and pull me along.

We end up in a building- apparently called a store- filled with all sorts of clothing that smell funny. Apparently people are separated into two different genders. People who are built like Kakashi have what's called a penis and are male. Where as people like me and Yugao are women, and have breasts and a vagina. According to Yugao, I'm old enough and developed enough to wear something called a bra. It supports our breasts and keeps them from bouncing all over the place when we're doing something like fighting and running. Undies are worn under pants like bras are worn under our shirts. We spend a decent amount of time trying to find something that will fit my frame and my current personality perfectly fine. The end result is a simple black shirt with pants of the same color and same with the shoes. She says that since I'm going to be like her and Kakashi, a shinobi, I should get used to wearing dark clothing; shinobi apparently need to be good at hiding in shadows and bright clothing doesn't help with that. It's not until later, when I'm back with Kakashi, that he decides that it's time for me to really start learning how to talk. He says he was told that it shouldn't take me too long, that I have to remind my mouth how to form the words. And that he believes that this is true, seeing as I've already started saying words I wasn't saying earlier this morning. Words such as 'come', 'go', 'stay', 'try', 'this', mostly words I managed to get down by watching Yugao's mouth forming such words.

"Alright. I guess first we'll start with the alphabet," Kakashi states. "The alphabet is basically what makes up the basis of all the words we make. Each word is made of at least one or two letters. The first letter is 'A'," and that's how the rest of the day goes really. Well, at least until I've got the alphabet and the words, 'yes', 'no', and 'kind of' down. This takes up our time until a little bit passed lunch, which is apparently the second meal of the day. Around that time, he decided we'd take a break and he's make lunch. It was rice balls again. When I asked another word I got down, 'why', he told me because it's simple and we still have a lot of stuff to do. After lunch, we moved onto something different. And let me tell you. I don't think he holds a single thing back. However, I'm willing to learn and retain everything and anything he teaches me. "Okay. We're going to start your shinobi training. It will include everything else you need to know in order to be like any normal person, but it will also teach you to be like Yugao and I. Okay?"

I sit before him on the floor as he sits on the couch in front of me. On the table between us are multiple books varying from thin and thick. Some are opened up to certain points. However, because the alphabet is different from kanji, according to Kakashi, I can't read any of these. "Yes," I tell him, eager to learn. If all this can make me less of a hassle for the boy that saved me and brought me to a place I can call home, then I'll do anything and everything in my power to learn.

"Chakra is essential to even the most basic technique; it is the molding of the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. Once molded, it can be channeled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 chakra points (called tenketsu) in the body. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals, the chakra can then be controlled and manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as walking on water, exhaling fire or creating illusions. By molding different ratios of the two energies, new colors and much stronger types of chakra can be formed. Most ninja have a natural affinity to one type of chakra, but they have the capacity to create elemental chakra apart from their own affinity. There are five basic types, each stronger and weaker to another, but their relations, weaknesses, and strengths to each other are all explored. There is also the dealing of Yin and Yang and the balance of mental and physical energies. In addition to these five elements, certain kekkei genkai can mix elemental chakra to form new natures, for example it is possible to mix water and wind into ice. While many ninja can use more than one type of chakra, very few are able to use them simultaneously". He pauses to look at me, making sure that I'm paying attention. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," I nod out. And honestly, I really do. Surprisingly, the explanation of chakra comes as an understanding to me much faster than just learning words or how society works. I'm happy to find something that comes so easily to me. That means it'll make the process of becoming less of a pain to Kakashi will go faster.

"Good. We'll go to sleep then. It's a little early, but I'm still tired from yesterday and you just learned a whole bunch of stuff today," Kakashi stands and stretches. "You know where the shower is and how it works. If you want a shower, then take one and then go to bed. Good night, Cross". By the time he's done talking, he's already headed in the direction of where he showed me earlier.

"Go'ght, Kakashi," I slur out in my broken up speech.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Growing Up**

After that day, things sped forward like never before. By the end of that week, Kakashi and I had a routine that we would go through. Wake up, I'd shower and he'd make breakfast. We'd go visit his friends' graves and then we would simply walk through the village. He would show me where different things were so that by the next week I already had a good idea of what the lay out of the village was like. After that, we would go home and he'd help me learn. He taught me more about chakra. He taught me about the origin of this village, and of other villages. Of the wars this village has been through. He taught me about himself and his past, and of what he's been through. He taught me to cook and how to over all fight. By the time I turned fourteen, I was deemed worthy of a shinobi title. A month after I was made a Genin, I was promoted to Chunin due to my field work. And four months after that, I moved up to Jounin.

That may seem impossible, but I have to tell you that it's the truth. It took me up to a whole year to perfect my speech patterns, and until recently I still had problems forming words and I would stutter her and there. But again, that was up until recently. Currently, I have no issues with my speech patterns. Anyways, being a shinobi was, and is, what came to me as the most natural thing in my life. That and flying. Anything having to do with physical action that allowed my body to gather information, I learned best. I have to say that I think that before I was captured by Orochimaru- when that was, who knows- I had already started training to become a shinobi. And that's why things came so easily to me. Or. At least part of the reason. Six month after my reach to Jonin, I made it into Anbu, team Ro of all teams. That means that I was put onto Kakashi's team.

Over the year that has gone by, I have grown a lot. From nothing but a mere scrap of a girl, so a young woman already toned and hard for battle. I know I'm not fully developed, being only fourteen, but still, I'm apparently more developed than most women, already having most of my curves in the right places and what not. My hair, which when was first found was down to the middle of my back, had quickly grown down to my knees, flowing like a river in that it is smooth and shiny with a ripple of a wave here and there. I keep it in a pony tail where just the ends are tied off most of the time. Bangs do frame my face, being longest along the sides of my face. The middle of my bangs is next longest, collecting to rest over my nose, while the rest of my bangs just barely over my eyes brows. My hitai-ate rests around my neck as a choker. My clothing had also changed to fit my more womanly physic. Going from simple cloth and the standard shinobi clothing, I've moved to something easier for me to move. in. My shirt has no back so that my wings are free to do as they please, and it stands as a leather corset style black thin strapped top. The cut is low, showing off a good portion of my bust despite the fact that that seems dangerous. My pants are also leather, made to make sure that they along with my shirt don't make a single noise when I move as some leather is known to do. On my feet are a pair of steal toed high heeled boots, made to fit perfectly to the foot and remain comfortable no matter how long their worn. It cost me half my savings just to get these babies. My shuriken pouches rest on either of my hips. I don't use kunai due to the black bone claws that are just as sharp as any sword. Along with the rest of my body, my wings have grown much bigger, and just like me they're not done growing; the same goes for my tail.

I sigh from my position in front of Team Ro's meeting room. I'm honestly nervous about meeting the team. I mean, all of them are older than me. And they're probably much more experienced in just about everything than myself. However, I should be happy. Hokage-sama decided to put me on Kakashi's own team, therefore making me more so able to fit in with at least someone. I bite my lower lip, but am careful not to bite too hard lest my fang break the skin and make me bleed. Wouldn't that be great? I knock before opening up the door. The room is relatively small, and filled with lockers on either side. There's a bench in the middle of the room. Just like the lockers, men are on either side of the room, looking at me both curiously and knowingly. In the center of the room, at the other end of the bench, is none other than Kakashi himself.

"Ahh, there you are," Kakashi greets, "You were almost late!". His eye lazily looks from man to man that surrounds me, "Men, this is our newest addition to the team, Cross. She's a good friend of mine. Welcome to the team, Cross. Team Ro".

I can't help but smile lightly to the boy who saved my life and gave me a new one. "Thank you, Captain," I smile out.

"Cross huh?" I hear a slightly familiar voice speak up from behind me, "Pretty name for a pretty girl. Nice to meet you. I'm Tenzo". I turn to see a boy who's slightly taller than myself, but shorter than Kakashi. His eyes are naturally wide and black, and he wears a metal sort of face frame to support the hitai-ate on his face. His hair is short and black, and like everyone else save myself, he wears the standard Anbu armor. "Thanks for taking my spot as new guy by the way," he adds on.

I smile myself before shrugging, "My pleasure," I offer a clawed hand for him to shake, "It's nice to meet you too, by the way".

His eyes fall to my black clawed hand, eyes falling on the sword sharp weapons, "Woah! Those things are wicked! How strong are they?"

I hear a new voice speak up from behind me, "Why don't you find out, Tenzo? We were going to spar today once everyone was changed into their armor," I look over my shoulder to see Kakashi standing directly behind me. He looks down to me, "You don't mind, right Cross?"

I offer him a grin, bearing harmless fangs at him, "Not at all".

"Good; follow me," he nods and walks passed the lot of us, with everyone else following after him. I find myself in the middle of the walking twenty some odd men.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and find myself looking up and to my right. I meet light blue eyes, lightly tanned skin, a strong jaw and reddish brown hair framing it all. His clothing is that of your usual Anbu, and by the looks of things, his tattoo is on his right arm. He offers a large hand to me, and I take it in the form of a shake, "Nice to meet you, Cross. My name is Saiai. I figured I'd introduce myself to a cute girl such as yourself before you showed us how much of a lioness you are". He doesn't look that much older than my fourteen year old self.

"Nice to meet you yourself," I offer a smile to him, taking the complement in stride. "I'm not that much of a lioness, trust me".

"You're kidding me," his voice sounds from my other side, making my eyes widen, "With those claws on your hands? You're not even carrying a kunai pouch. That's saying something". This time, his eyes are a light green. He offers me his hand, and I shake it, "Nice to meet you, I'm Saiai's brother, Nikun". His eyes fall to my first side, and I blink dumbly. Twins? By now, we're behind the Anbu building. Well, more so we're in Hokage Mountain, having gone through a tunnel that leads into said mountain and now we're in a cave without a top-letting in the sun- and trees surrounding the clearing. Nikun seems to realize what I'm looking at and chuckles. However, as he moves to answer, his mouth isn't doing the work. But it is his and his brother's voice.

"Like it?" I look forward to see a third copy of this man. However, this eyes are heterochromic, his right eye being a light blue and his left a light green. "There's a whole bunch of clearings like this one within Hokage Mountain. One for each team. This one belongs to Team Ro. You're free to come here and train for however long you like whenever you want". Now he offers his hand, "Nice to meet you; I'm the middle brother of us three, Churitsu. Saiai is my older brother, and Nikun is my little brother".

"So you're triplets," I grin out, "It's my first time seeing triplets".

"Then it's a good thing we're on the same team huh?" I look to my right and find Saiai there, his hand no longer on my shoulder. I nod in agreement.

"By the way. What the hell Saiai? Hitting on the new girl?" Nikun questions with a scoff, "Couldn't you of held back for at least a week?" He looks to me, "Sorry about him. He's an ass who likes to hit on women he thinks are pretty".

I smile, "Thank you. And to think I'm not done growing".

"Eh?!" Nikun and Saiai intone as one, exact same surprised looks on their faces. "How old are you?"

I hear a chuckle, and my eyes fall onto Churitsu, "She's only fourteen guys; four years younger than ourselves". It's not my fault I have the body of a sixteen year old in not just body shape but also height.

"Four years huh?" Nikun laughs out. "Damn! You're gonna be drop dead sexy when you're fully grown".

"That's true," Saiai nods out. "I seriously thought you were older than Kakashi all this time". He laughs at his own mistake and looks to his younger brother, "How'd you know her age?"

"You know I've always been good at that," Churitsu.

"I'll keep that in mind," a voice speaks up from behind him.

I can't help but chuckle lightly as Churitsu spins around to look down at the smaller Kakashi. "Ah! Captain!"

"If you three are quite done harassing our newest member, Tenzo is quite ready to spar her," Kakashi states, sending an eye smile my way. "Are you ready, Cross?"

I beam to him. I've always loved the way he says my name. I don't know why. He just says it and it comes so nicely from his mouth. "Of course!"

He eye smiles at me before turning and leading the way through the men and to Tenzo. Said shinobi is kindly waiting patiently while other men have by now created a sort of ring with their bodies for us to spar in. I step into this circle, lacing my fingers behind my back as I walk to stand across from my sparring opponent. We stand still as Kakashi gives the simple rules of this being an any jutsu fight, but of course a no kill or maim fight. If we step out of the ring more than once, we give up our chance to spar, and the game is over.

A single leaf flutters between us...It hits the ground and we're at it like two rabid ninken. A kunai meets my a fist of curled claws, causing sparks to fly. I smile to him as our eyes meet, and my free clawed hand reaches forward, lashing out at his face as he continues to try to over power me. He backs up, pushing us apart, only to throw that kunai at my face. The thumb belonging to the hand that had slashed at him points up, and as though brushing something off my nose cockily, my hand moves to the side. The claw of this thumb meets with the metal of the kunai, and cuts through it like a hot knife through butter.

I watch as Tenzo places his hands together, clasping them as though praying or something. However, the result is sudden pillars of wood shooting at me at a rather impressive speed. I purse my lips and narrow my eyes. My hands slap together quickly to form needed hand signs of dog, hare, ox, bore and then tiger. "Katon: Bokaheki!" At my simple command, a wall off fire rises in front of me, leaving the wood to lash out at that, while I run around the wall and along the pillars of wood. However, what I wasn't expecting was for the pillars to be able to sprout from one another as though they were some sort of plant. I grunt as one slams into my gut, causing me to fall off course. I block a kunai that aims for my throat and cut through it with the help of that same hand's claws. An elbow is thrust backwards, coming in contact with skin, and my eyes fly over to the pillar's source to find nothing but a wooden clone. I pivot on the ball of my foot, lashing out close to the belt with blood yearning claws. I catch the front of his armored vest, ripping away the cloth, making me grin. Just a bit closer. However, I gasp as a thin branch of wood finds its way through my wide. I look down at it, and then to the person controlling it, seeing a hooked finger as though having just finished gesturing for it to do as he commands.

"Ohh...Looks like she's still got some training to do," I hear someone mutter to another person. I can't help but smile. Wrong.

My mouth forms one word, "Boom".

From my position disguised as one of the pillars that had been fighting the fire wall that went out as soon as my clone had been hit, I watch as said bushin explodes not in destruction, but simply sudden fire that catches him and burns him as it pleases. I grin and release the hinge, and rush forward. I know it's the real him. If he were another wooden bushin, then he would have dispelled his lively look. And yet here he is, jumping way from the fire. I on the other hand rush forward, lowing my body to the ground and letting my strong legs push me to the speed I need. While he's patting out the fire that's caught him, I'm leaping at him through the fire. He sees this though, and manages to catch me on the sword that's been laying over his shoulder. I gasp as there's a squelching sound, and I look down to see blood dripping from my stomach, hands holding the hilt. My eyes are wide, and the meet his even wider ones as his body begins to shake and tremble. He just...Ran me through with a sword.

"O-ow...," I whimper out, my own form shivering. I step away from him, blood splattering to the ground as I do so.

Tenzo looks around wildly, "Medic! We need a medic asap!" He looks at me, and comes to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. However, when he moves to do so his hand meets nothing. I watch from behind him as his head whips around confusedly, "W-what?! I know that wasn't a genjutsu! It couldn't of been!"

I smile from behind him. "And it wasn't". He turns around only for him to just barely stop himself from running into a hand with gathered fingers so that the claws ultimately form a single tip. He turns to his right, finding another me. Again to his right, and again another me. He repeats his one more time before fully facing me again. "At least...Not entirely. Yield, Tenzo. I win".

He blinks at me, and then looks at me before clasping his hands together, four pillars of wood shoot up around him, destroying the kagebushin that had cornered him. Where was I really, you ask? He looks around rapidly, a hand on the hilt of his sword and his other hand holding a kunai at the ready. "Where are you...?" He questions. "Not right, left, up, down, or in front of me. That leaves-".

"Behind you," I laugh out lightly. I had never left my hiding spot as posing one of those pillars of wood. This time it is the real me, and this time the position is much more deadly. I giggle lightly into his ear, resting my chin on his shoulder. Around his waist, one set of claws is set. The claws themselves are splayed against his hard stomach, heel of my palm actually touching him while the rest of my hand does not but the claws' points do. With a pinky claw pointed directly over his stomach, a ring finger's claw pointed over his left lung, the middle claw over his heart, the pointer claw over his right lung over his liver, I'd have to say that all I have to really do is make a fist and he'll have multiple rather painful wounds at the very least. If I miss his heart, which is highly unlikely in this position, he'll bleed out. My left hand all the while is casually, almost seductively, wrapped around his neck. Two fingers rest on one side of his chin, slightly curled to threaten entering the skin, while the thumb is on the other side and in the same position. The last two fingers are both positioned over his throat directly. "Yield for real this time. Tenzo. You can't get away from me," as I say this, my tail reaches around me and places itself in the space between my torso and his back, aimed at his spine. Unknown to most, even my tail is deadly. Not only is the tip as sharp as my claws, but it has a powerful paralyzing poison that I doubt anyone has the antidote to; not even I have it. Luckily for everyone, I have to stab someone with my tail for it to release the poison in the first place. And I'm immune.

Tenzo is silent for a moment before he speaks, "I yield". I release him, and back away. He turns around to meet my gaze and offers me a hand. "Man. You're really good! I'm really glad you're on our team. Seriously! You had me in so many spots, I forgot to count them all!"

I beam to him, happy with my victory, "Eight places," I tell him. "I had you done for in eight places; all of them deadly".

There's the sound of clapping, and I turn to face those who are doing it. Those who made the circle that is. Towards the front to my left, is none other than my scarecrow of a friend, Kakashi. He eye smiles my way, showing that he's proud of me. This just makes me smile even bigger. If he's proud of me, then I'm happy.

"I think that concludes today's sparring. Tenzo made enough of a show for one day. That is, for me at least. If any of you want to continue sparring, feel free. Just don't majorly hurt each other," Kakashi states before turning in the direction of the tunnel that leads the way out.

I move to follow him, and luckily I manage to get through the group of pats on my back and 'that was awesome's and stuff like that. When I do catch up to the silver haired Anbu Captain, he's already off of Anbu grounds. "You could have waited for me," I pout out to him lightly.

Kakashi looks at me from the corner of his eye, seeing as I'm walking on his right, "You would have caught up as it was," he tells me. True. "Why didn't you end it in a single move?"

I sigh and roll my eyes, being efficient is only good when when you're on a mission in my eyes. He knows this. "Because it would have been boring," I tell him in the form of a huff.

I can see he's about to say something when, "Oiiiiiii! Kakashiiiii!" A rather loud voice calls out. We stop, and turn to see someone- or rather something- I wish I had never seen. Running towards the silver haired young man and myself is a young man dressed in nothing but a full body green spandex suit. Around his waist like a belt is his hitai-ate, the cloth holding it being red. Around his legs are orange leg warmers, however I can see that in they're also weights. On his torso is the usual Jonin flack vest. His black hair is shiny and in a bowl cut to go with his super bushy eyebrows and his black eyes.

"Oh no," I hear Kakashi mutter lowly under his breath.

"Kakashi! My eternal rival! It's been forever since we saw one another! Has Hokage-sama had you busy on an important mission all this time?"

"Yea Guy," Kakashi says, hands buried in his pockets deeply, "That's exactly what happened".

"How youthful! However, seeing as it's been so long...I challenge you!" The not so good looking young man, Guy apparently, declares. As though finally realizing that I'm here, his eyes widen and a bright blush covers his face. Next thing I know, Kakashi's no longer at my side, and the one in green is badly whispering to my friend. "Kakashi! Why didn't you tell me she was there?! Oh man, now I've made a fool of myself in front of a pretty girl!"

"She was there the whole time," really, I was.

Guy growls at Kakashi before rushing his way energetically to stand in front of me. He smiles widely, his oddly white teeth sparkling once as he gives me a thumbs up to complete his 'good guy' look. "Nice to meet you miss! I'm Might Guy! Who might a young woman of your beauty be?"

I blink dumbly for a second, trying to understand what he just said, seeing as the speed at which he said it was a bit too fast. However, when I've registered everything, I smile and offer my hand for a shake which he happily takes. "Nice to meet you Guy. My name is Cross. You're a friend of Kakashi's?"

"Yes! Ever since the academy!" Guy nods out. His eyes slide back over to Kakashi. "That reminds me. Why don't you join myself and the others for some lunch? Cross-chan can come too. It's Asuma, Kurenai, Iruka and myself. What do you say?"

Kakashi stares at the green clad male before shrugging and sighing, "Sure. You up for it Cross?"

I smile and shrug, "Sure. I'd love to meet your friends". He makes his way back to Guy and I, taking to my free side while Guy takes the one he was at and we begin walking.

Guy blanches at these words for whatever reason and he looks incredulously to Kakshi and I, "Kakashi...Don't tell me you and Cross-chan are...".

It seems his trail off clicks right away in Kakashi's mind, but I don't see how. Are...What exactly? "No," he tells bushy brows, "We're not like that; we're just friends". Guy seems relieved by this.

It doesn't take us long at all to get to the place that apparently the aforementioned friends were gathered to eat. Upon seeing them, I can't help but feel a bit of an intruder. Just looking at them I can tell that they're all good friends. However, Guy, Kakashi and even I am greeted by smiles.

"Hey Kakashi," one of the two young men there greets with a wave of his hand. From his lips hangs a cigarette while his hair is on the slightly long side, coming down to mid neck almost and being a bit choppy but nothing more. His eyes, like his hair, are dark, and his skin is on the bit tanner side of what I've seen people have. His clothing is casual, but I can tell that he's a shinobi through an through by the look in his eyes and the way he sits. He wears a simple gray shirt and dark gray pants. "Took you long enough to get here Guy".

Guy offers this stranger with a good guy pose, "Well I did run into Kakashi after all! Brought him and the lovely Cross-chan along with me too! You should be thankful, Asuma".

The stranger, Asuma apparently, rolls his eyes. He flicks some ashes off the end of his cigarette before those dark eyes land on Kakashi. "Long time no see. Been on a long term mission I bet". Kakashi gives him a man, "Then welcome home". His eyes now land on me, "And you must be Cross. Nice to meet you," he gives me a nod, "Sarutobi Asuma at your service. This here is Yuhei Kuranai and Umino Iruka".

The young woman Asuma gestures to is beautiful even for just a mere young woman. I wouldn't be surprised if she's already a heart breaker as it is. With long wavy black hair and vibrant red eyes, she's pretty as mentioned. She has pale skin and she wears something of a red and white dress with- I'm guessing here- shorts underneath. She offers me a smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you. A friend of Kakashi's is a friend of ours".

The last one of the group seems to be a bit more on the shy side, but that doesn't mean he's any less nice looking. He wears the standard Chunin uniform, long sleeved black shirt and long black pants. His hitai-ate rests on its namesake. His skin is a rich tan, and his eyes and hair are both a dark brown. He blushes lightly as he meets my gaze, "Uh...N-nice to meet you! Please...Come sit".

I smile and nod, but let Guy and Kakashi sit first. My spot is already made for me, having me sit between Kakashi and shy Iruka. "A pleasure to meet you all. Thank you for taking care of Kakashi and for being his friend. I know how hard doing so can be".

Asuma chuckles, "You got that right. But that's okay; Kakashi's well worth it".


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: New People and Kiddies**

Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. By the time I'm sixteen years old, I've become fully accustomed to the village, and have become fully integrated into it. Kakashi and I have been living together for three years. Ahh that's right, you never knew; I never moved out of Kakashi's apartment. Why? Because he asked me to stay. When I turned thirteen, and not long after I met the others, I decided that it was my time to find a place of my own. I was already doing missions outside the village, so I figured moving out would be a good idea. You know, get out of Kakashi's hair once and for all. However, much to my surprise, he wouldn't let me move out, and even asked I stay. When I asked why he wanted me to stay, he told me he liked my company and that he missed having someone else in the house to live with. This of course didn't turn us into a couple or anything, but it's not like that even matters.

That day, having lunch with Kakashi and his friends, really showed me how much my social skills sucked. I could act social like any good Anbu member. But being with Kakashi and just him for so long made me a bit anti-social. This of course was declared to be remedied by not only Guy, but Asuma as well. Both are fun loving folk when not on missions and when Guy isn't busy challenging Kakashi to a new sort of competition this way and that. Often his challenges were ridiculous. But the punishment for the one who lost was even worse. I remember one time, Guy lost and the punishment- made by Kakashi- was dancing naked around the village for an entire hour. That wasn't a pretty sight at all. Anyways, I'm still on the anti-social side, but for the most part I'm no where near as worried about being around people with or without Kakashi as I used to be.

Soon enough, I found myself going on to turn fifteen, and then sixteen. In those two years, I learned a lot. I can't say what I learned really, I'll have to show you some time. However, I will say that the skills I learned over the two years, be they from being on missions or simply through training with the guys, I keep them close to me as is needed. I physically haven't changed much, save for filling out even more, and I'm just waiting for the last of my curves to settle in. However, that doesn't mean I don't think I'm not breathtaking. Because I know I am. As I grew, my bust got bigger, my hips wider, and my waist smaller. My claws grew with my hands, just as my wings and tail grew with the rest of my body. I still wear the leather corset and leather pants and boots get up, however now a days there are seals on the leather for speed. Thanks to Guy, I'm a huge speed fanatic, and therefore have gravity seals on my legs, torso, and two leather straps that I wear around my wrists. Currently, I stand at an amazing total of five feet seven inches. That's pretty damn tall for a woman, let me tell you that. And that's without my boots. My hair style has changed in that while I keep it long, I also allow it to flow freely. People say that's foolish, seeing as my hair could easily get grabbed. However, I reply by saying that if someone can catch my hair when I'm going at full speed, then I have to up my training. Simple as that.

Today is one of the rare days where I have off from any of my work. Be it simple Anbu work or something else. I sigh as I simply walk the streets of Konoha, a place that has been my home for a total of three years now. Three whole years. Like most shinobi on their day off, I love to dress casually. Today I'm wearing a blue short sleeved shirt that matches my hair, and black jeans to go with simple flat ninja sandals. My wings rest in a relaxed furled position against my back, and my tail is safely around my waist where it can't be pulled by any curious child. That's something I've learned over the three years I've started to live: my tail is very sensitive, and even the slightest of pulls makes me unable to do anything save be at the mercy of the puller. Therefore, I normally keep it around my waist just to be safe. I look up to the blue sky and smile. I should go for a fly; I haven't in a good long while. Well, at least not at a leisurely pace I haven't.

I grunt as I bump into someone, stumbling back just enough to catch myself as to not fall. I shake my head lightly before looking to who I bumped into. He's a handsome fellow, with long black hair tied at the nape of his neck and bangs framing his face on either side. He wears a black high collared shirt with dark tan pants, along with a pair of shinobi sandals. At his side is a little boy practically the spitting image of him, save the sleeves of his shirt are long instead of short. "Oh crap," my eyes meet the older of the two, "I'm so sorry for bumping into you".

"It's quite alright," the older of the two smiles lightly to me, "I wasn't watching where I was going".

"That's not true nii-san!" The little boy interrupts, "She's the one who wasn't watching where she was going!" He now looks to me, "Say you're sorry again!"

I raise a brow, "Uhh...Sorry?" There. Better?

"Sasuke, she didn't have to apologize a second time. I wasn't paying attention; otherwise I would have moved around her. You weren't paying attention either, it seems. Unless you wanted me to bump into her," the older brother of the two tells the younger, apparently Sasuke. He meets my gaze again, "Please forgive my little brother's rudeness".

I smile to the stranger and roll my shoulders in the form of a shrug, "It's not a problem," I assure, "It seems like you're his favorite person in the world. It's only natural for him to see that you're in the right almost all of the time".

It seems the older of the two was going to say something when suddenly an Anbu suddenly landed in front of us. Dressed in your usual Anbu garb, his mask is made to look like that of a cheetah's face. "Falcon," he speaks, keeping his russet head bowed, "There's a problem that we need your help with".

My smile falls and I sigh. There goes my day off. "Report".

"Naruto Uzumaki has caused trouble and we can't seem to catch him for love nor money. We heard from Dog that you were good with children. We're hoping that perhaps you can help us capture him and punish him accordingly".

"What did he do?" I know Naruto well enough to know that he's the village's Jinchuriki- not that he knows. I also know him well enough to know what he loves to do most; I've often watched over him. He as a result, causes trouble so that people will notice him for whatever reason.

"Broke into the Hokage's office and defiled it," Cheetah speaks up. By now he's standing, and with my sharp eyes I can see through the eye holes which of the triplets it is. I know their voice well, on a casual note. However when they're serious, there's no telling them apart; you have to look at their eye color. Cheetah is Saiai.

I sigh, "Very well. You take off. I'll be there in a second," I tell him. He nods before doing just that. My attention is given to the black haired stranger and his little brother. "Sorry about that; I have to get going," I offer a smile and a clawed hand for a shake. "I know this is random, but you seem like a nice person and I'm always up for making new friends. If you ever find yourself bored or in want of a sparring partner, look me up. My name is Cross".

"What about your last name?" Sasuke questions as he stares at my black claws as Itachi and I shake.

"I'm the only one with my name so it won't be an issue," I tell him lightly.

The stranger in the mean time smiles lightly, "I don't have many friends as it is...However you seem like a decent person yourself, Cross. My name is Itachi Uchiha". So he's the famed Itachi. Huh. He's tall for a thirteen year old. But then again, I'm tall for being only sixteen. I feel I'll get another inch out of my growth if I'm lucky. If not then I'm stuck at this height.

I smile and nod before releasing his hand and backing up. I purse my lips. Saiai went east. My wings unfurl and with a push from bent knees, they make me air borne. I don't bring myself too high above the roof tops, because if I have to dive down, then I'll loose time by being up so high. Therefore I'm only a few feet above the roof tops. It takes me little to no time at all to catch up to Saiai and I sigh. "I assume we're right on his tail?"

"You got that right," ahh, there's his casual voice. He looks my way as I flank him as to not hit him with my wings, "You sure you can get to him this time? He seems to be getting worse".

"He's just a kid. He's shunned and he doesn't know why," I tell Saiai, "When he has a right to know. So of course, as a child, he's going to lash out and cause issues. Having no parents to raise and punish him, and myself and Hokage-sama are only free so often to show him what's right and wrong when he does them, he doesn't exactly know what is socially acceptable or not". As we go, I see a spot of bright blonde hair, showing me that he's right ahead of us. However I shouldn't dive yet. He's still a good while away. "Found him".

There's a grunt of slight surprise, "I'll never get over how strong those eyes of yours are, girlie," he ends up chuckling. "You live up to your title as always". He looks back at me, and pulls something from his pocket, "Here's your mask, by the way".

I'm not even gonna ask how he got it. I slip it on, showing the face of a falcon covering my own. I chuckle myself, "I try. I'll be going now. Why don't you tell Hokage-sama to pull back the others; I've got this". I get a nod, and he moves to the side so I can simply speed up with a push of my wings. I smile to myself as I now start to hear the taunts and laughter of the boy as he continues to bob and weave his way through the ally ways. He would know them best, having to use them to get away from angry mobs on his birthday- if Kakashi and I aren't already there to make sure he's unharmed- or simply to get away from Anbu like he is today. We Anbu don't spend nearly enough time at home to know the ally ways as well as this kid does.

"Ha! Looks like you guys have finally given up! No one can catch the great Naruto Uzumaki!" The ten year old boy laughs out, obviously proud of himself.

Wait...Wait...Wait...Wai- Now! My wings fold and I dive, landing right where I know Naruto to be. I smile as his eyes widen and he tries to stop and turn and run another way. However, just as he turns, I reach forward and a hand wraps around his arm before pulling him back to me so that my other hand may take a hold of his other arm. As soon as I have him a strong enough grip, I take off to the sky. This time much higher than before. Naruto, of course and like every other time I've done this, begins to kick and flail and scream. "Naruto," I tell him once we're at a good enough altitude and I stop going up in trade for going forward, "I hear you actually got into Hokage-sama's office of all places this time".

"AHHHHHHH LET ME DOWN LET ME DOWN LET ME DOWN! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I DON'T WANN DIE YOUNG! NOOOOOOO!" The boy flails wildly as usual. Luckily I have a good hold on him.

"Naruto...NaruTO...NARUTO!" He shuts up. There we go. "Calm down. I won't drop you".

I look down at the blonde boy with a smile while he looks up at me with a pout on his face, "So? That still doesn't mean that this isn't freaky. Where are you taking me, Falcon-chan?" In times of his most isolated times, I've gone out of my way to make nice with him.

"I'm taking you to Hokage-sama so he can deal with you accordingly. Naruto, what made you want to mess up his office in the first place?" I answer and then question.

"No reason," Naruto mumbles. I bet you he'd cross his arms over his chest if he could. I sigh, looking at his balled up form. That's something he tends to do whenever I'm sent to catch him and do just that. He automatically balls up like some sort of baby animal does when carried by their mother. Maybe it's an influence the fox has on him? I don't know. Still, 'no reason' must mean that kids were picking on him again. I sigh again. I wish Kakshi and I could show him our faces, but we can't.

It takes little to no time at all to get to Hokage Tower, and I smile upon seeing the open window just for Naruto and I. Like any other bird would, I swoop down and land on the edge of the window, using chakra at the balls of my feet to keep us from landing uncontrollably. I continue to crouch as I put Naruto down, put keep a hand on his shoulder just in case he tries to make a get away. "One Naruto, just as you ordered sir," I greet the old man with a smile hidden by my mask.

"Thank you Falcon," he tells me, "You can let him go now". I do as I'm told, and look around. The place has already been cleaned up. Heh, old man must have done it; he's always had a soft spot for the boy. I don't blame him. "Naruto, you know it was wrong of you to mess up my office. I know you know. Therefore, you'll be helping me with my paperwork for the rest of the day. Is that clear?"

"But Old Man!" Naruto freely flails his arms now that he can, "I have to go to the academy and learn to be a bad ass ninja!"

"And you will...Tomorrow. Today, you have a punishment to deal with," he turns to me and nods, "You are free to go Falcon. Thank you for bringing him to me. Please take this note to the Academy and give it to Iruka. It will tell him of what happened to Naruto-kun during lunch and of what will be going on with him". I reach forward and take the paper gingerly between my claws until I can actually get my hand on it.

"Of course, sir," I bow, and push off backwards from the window's ledge free falling with my back facing the ground. That is, until I flip my body around and push against gravity with my wings at the last moment. This sends me upwards again, and I'm once more only a few feet above the roof tops. Flying is so efficient, I tell you. No jumping has to be done save for taking off, and your wings have natural stamina like no tomorrow that you just constantly build up. And if you're like me and a natural flier, then there's no issues in landing either. I head west, but not too far of course.

It takes me little to no time at all for me to get to my next destination, and I land in a near by tree simply to see what the Academy looks like. I've never been here more than a handful of times, seeing as Kakashi- and Yugao on occasion- was the one to teach me what I know now. The only reason I know this place kind of is because of the times I've brought Naruto back here when he tried skipping classes. I look down at the letter in my hand and make my way down from the tree branch, my wings furling fully against my back. Through the double doors I go, and through what looks to be an indoor sparring area that is the bottom floor. Up the stairs and down the hallway...Make a...Left. It's the last door on my right. Ahh, here we are. Seeing Iruka through the window of the door is helpful. I stop and knock twice before opening the door. I hear gasps of surprise and amazement through out the room. Heh, ninja wannabes are so cute.

"C- Falcon-san," oh, he almost slipped up~, "What brings you here".

"Nothing of large importance, Iruka. Simply a letter from Hokage-sama pertaining to Naruto's where abouts is all," I reply simply, handing the man the letter and as usual careful to not let my claws scratch the hand taking the letter up.

"Ahh, thank you Falcon-san," he tells me with a grateful nod as he looks the letter over. "Serves the twerp right". I sigh. This is something I hate about Iruka. Apparently his parents were killed by the Kyubbi. And Iruka, while not someone who openly causes hell for Naruto, doesn't do anything to help him either. His eyes fall to me and I can see that he knows why I sighed, and that he's a little frightened. Out of Kakashi and I, I'm more likely to lash out at someone for saying something mean about the hero of this village.

However, this time I don't do anything but turn to leave the room when, "Iruka-sensei! Who is she?" I turn, and my eyes fall onto a boy dressed in a gray hoodie with fur on the rim of the hood, dark eyes and red fang marks on his face. I can see claws on his hands, which are nothing but nubs compared to my talons. On his head rests a puppy that's all white save his ears which are brown.

"Hush Kiba!" Iruka snaps out, annoyance in his voice.

Being a small fan of children, I chuckle a bit before turning and facing the entire class, "My name is Falcon. I am a member of Anbu, and have been for the past two years".

A girl with bubble gum pink hair, a dress of light colors and her hair is held back by a red ribbon, raises her hand. Green eyes are fixed on me as she asks, "I thought you weren't allowed to wear casual clothing when on a mission?"

"I was on my day off when I had to go get Naruto. I, along with Iruka here and one other, am the only one who can actually catch him".

"You've gotta be kidding me," a blond girl with pupil less blue eyes, blond hair held back in a pony tail, and an orange shirt from what I can see of her sitting form, speaks up. "Anbu are the elite of the elite! A loser like him isn't near fast or strong enough to out run a group of Anbu!"

"Actually," I let my arms cross and rest against my lower back under my wings, "Naruto knows the ally ways and streets better than the back of his hand. Using that to his advantage, he can easily out run us. Anbu aren't nearly home enough to know the ally ways and streets of our home like he does. Not only that, but he has amazing stamina". I pause, and see a diabolical look in puppy boy's eyes, "However, that doesn't mean you personally can out run us. Myself especially". I smile behind my mask as the boy sweat drops.

"Falcon-san?" A nameless boy raises his hand. His hair is of a light brown color, his shirt green and from what I can see his shorts are black. His eyes are green like his shirt, and his skin is on the slightly tanned side. "How old might you be? You sound rather young to be an Anbu".

I smile, "Believe it or not, there's a lot of young Anbu currently. You can thank the Third Shinobi War for that. However, if you must know, I'm sixteen". I turn and make my way out of the room, "Now if you lot will excuse me, I have a day off to finish". As I leave, I finally look to little Sasuke, who has been staring at me with intense surprise ever since I got here. I'm positive he recognizes me. How can he not? I give him a little, hidden to all but him, wave as I leave and close the door behind me. I don't take my mask off until I'm up in the sky again.

I finish my day off with flying until the sun is about to go down. I know that seems like a long time, and it was, but I love flying to the point that I'm willing to do it for days on end with only sleep and food as a reason to land. Because the sky is where no one can reach me. It's my domain and no one else's but the real birds of the world. By the time the sun is setting, I decide it's time to go home and see if Kakashi is finally home from his mission with Churitsu and Nikun as well as some others. He said that he hoped to be done within two weeks; it's been two weeks. I land on the railing of the upper walk way of our apartment, and furl my wings before lightly stepping off this railing. I open the door with the key and look around for any signs of Kakashi being here. When I see none, I sigh and walk into my room to put my mask away where it should be. I then go ahead and look for any signs of Saiai being in my drawers, something I've found traces of before. However, either he covered up his tracks really well, or this time he didn't dare go and investigate my underwear. I feel my stomach grumble and decide that it's time for food.

What to make? What to make? I wonder to myself. I could make teriyaki, stir fry...Hmmm...Smothered chicken sounds good right now. What about stuffed peppers? Oh...Those sound really good right about now. Those it is. Luckily, we still have the peppers I bought for this occasion specifically, so I don't have to go out and get more. Cutting open and carving out the seeds of the peppers takes no time at all. It's the cooking of the meat that will seemingly take forever. Well...That and the rice. The sauce shouldn't take too long as it is.

As I'm chopping up the ground meat into tiny little pieces while it's cooking, my hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stand on end, and my tail- which I let hang down when at home- twitches nervously. What do my senses sense that I don't...? It takes me a moment, but my eyes widen and I spin around only to find...Nothing. "What the hell?" My eyes narrow, looking and searching for the source that's sending chills up my spine. I turn around smirking to myself. Found you. "Fucking senses. Lying to me about absolutely nothing," I mutter to myself. I go back to what I was doing, chopping up the meat while my tail twitches 'angrily'. I grin to myself when I feel the clone successfully made to appear in my room. I listen as the person sneaks up on me. He's rather skilled, being silent even when his feet hit the tiled floor of the kitchenette.

"Guess who," a pair of gloved hands cover my eyes playfully, and the voice speaks into my right ear from over my shoulder. I feel him stiffen as my tail wraps around his person and playfully runs its tip along his spine.

"Hmmm...My guess is a man of about five foot eight...Gray hair, a single Sharingan eye...Mask over his face save his normal eye, gravity defying silver hair and dressed in standard Konoha Anbu garb. It wouldn't be...Kakashi would it?" My tail stops its playing as he continues to stand between the gap of my furled wings. I can feel his body heat radiating off of him like tomorrow. Damn he's a heater.

"You got me," Kakashi chuckles lightly and steps back as soon as my tail is safely dangling from my tail bone, "You're getting good".

I turn, putting the spatula down, and face him. I grin up at him, baring harmless fangs, "I have a good teacher," I tell him in turn. My molten gold eyes meet his singular dark one for a moment long before I turn and walk away from the stove to relax on the couch. "Stuffed peppers for dinner. You hungry?"

"Starved," he tells me, headed for his room. Probably to change out of his current garb. I was right, as moments later he comes back out barefooted, armorless as well as hitai-ateless. He flops himself on the couch next to me, picking up the remote to the tv we decided to get a year ago and flipping it on, with his free arm slung over the area where my shoulders are on the back of said couch. The show he picks is a simple one about a normal boy and his every day life up until a war begins. Like I said, it's simple. However, it's something for us to watch. It's silent for a little bit before he speaks up, "How was your day off?"

My eyes flash to him, "Eh. It was not that eventful. I woke up, had breakfast, went for my usual morning fly. I ended up going for a walk at some point. Guess who I met today?"

"Who?" Kakashi questions.

I roll my orbs and poke him with a curled claw as to not poke him with the tip but instead one of my knuckles, "You're supposed to guess". Kakashi looks to me lazily for a moment, silent and nothing else. "Oh fine," I sigh out, "I met Itachi Uchiha. The famed Uchiha prodigy".

"You met Itachi?" Kakashi raises his only visible brow, "How?"

"He was going for a walk with his little brother by the looks of things, taking him to the Academy I think. I wasn't paying attention and bumped into him and we got to talking. I didn't really get to hang out with him, though. I had to go catch Naruto again".

Kakashi sighs, "What did Naruto do this time?"

"Snuck into the Hokage's office and messed it up. Nothing as big as some other things he's done, but no matter," I answer. "Anyways, I told Itachi that if he wanted someone to hang out with- even just spar with- he should look me up".

Kakashi nods and I get up to take care of the food, "I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Whether he looks like it or not, he's not big on contact with other people unless he has to".

"We'll see," I call from the stove, "You never know. Maybe he just needed someone to make the first step for him".


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Sparring and Bitching Out A Brat**

The next morning, I find myself in one of the many training fields that this village holds. It's one of the lesser used ones for whatever reason, so I use it when I don't feel like using the Anbu training grounds. I look around for any signs of someone being around. When I see no one, I nod to myself and pull a scroll out of my right shuriken pouch. Today is an unscheduled day off, however I'm still dressed in my usual leather garb just in case. What's the difference between a scheduled day off and an unscheduled one? Simple. The former is when I know I won't have to go on duty for the village. The former is when I'm expecting one, but haven't gotten one.

I run a single claw along the opposite hand's thumb, drawing blood to the now broken skin and opening up the scroll. The blood is slewed onto the parchment and with a bit of concentrated chakra there's a cloud of smoke. I sigh and sit on the bench before the sleek instrument that's not meant for battle, but can still be used as such if given the right amount of time- which is almost never. But that doesn't mean I don't know how to play it. It's taken me three years, but I find myself good enough to be confident in my playing ability. I slide my fingers along the keys of the piano. Now...how the hell is someone like me supposed to play a piano with claws in the way? That's one of the main reasons it took me three years to learn. It's an awkward way of playing it, and in fact it gets uncomfortable if I play for too long. However, I do like to practice when I can. Why? Because I like music. Simple as that.

The song I play is called Crimson Moon, something I made simply from my own ear. As I play, I close my eyes, and smile into the music. It is a slow and sad song, one that would best suit a mourning time. And even though I made the song, I can feel tears threatening to slip down my cheeks. This song always goes on to make me sad, however I don't mind. It's a beautiful song that I've managed to create, and I will never tire of playing. As the song comes to its climax and then finally the closing, I let my fingers simply slip off the keys. Simply from playing a two to three minute long song is enough to tire my fingers the way they have to play, but it was worth it.

I hear the sound of clapping, and I gasp, while the piano and its bench suddenly poof from existence, my shock sending my chakra to unsettle and unable to sustain the piano and stool. The result is me gracefully falling onto my ass. And the result of that, is the sound of a male chuckle. At first I think that Kakashi decided to follow me, seeing as not even he knows what I do when I come to this training ground. However, when I make it to my feet and turn to see who it was, I'm surprised to see a slightly smiling Itachi Uchiha. I blink dumbly at him. How long was he there for?

"How long were you there for?" I question.

Itachi tilts his head and walks his way into the clearing, the light smile now gone from his face, "I'd like to assume almost the whole time. This is where I normally train. However it seems that someone else uses this place as well".

I blanch. The whole time? Ugh, I need to learn to not get caught in my music so easily but still get the same beauty from it. That'd be nice. "The whole time? Damn". However, next I offer a smile to him, "If you want, I can leave and find another place to play. I don't mind".

"Actually...Would you like to spar with me?" The thirteen year old questions.

I tilt my head, "You wanna spar with me?" I know he's better than me. I'm not yet of Captain level for Anbu. I've only been training for three years. I'm not a prodigy as much as I seem to be. "You sure?"

"Are you afraid you might hurt me?" He questions, a slightly dark look in his eyes.

I scoff, "Hell no. More like I don't want to get my ass handed to me". I offer a smile to him, "But I'll spar you...I need to get better anyways".

He nods silently, and we walk into the center of the clearing to stand across from one another, "No B or A rank jutsus or summonings. Killing blows are to be held back to simple wounding blows. Say yield if you are caught and don't have any moves to make. If you say 'yield' then the fight is brought to an end. Understood?"

"I got ya," I offer him a smile, and crouch. My tail tightens its hold around my waist as to make sure it's safe, and my wings furl closely to my back in order to give me aerodynamicness as I run. I don't plan on flying unless I absolutely have to. "Ready?" I pause before rushing forward with a, "Begin!"

As one, we rush at one another. He with a kunai in his hand, and I with my talons at the ready. Like when I had first sparred with Tenzin, kunai meets the back of my talon-armored hand, making sparks fly. However, unlike with Tenzin, my eyes widen as I'm sent slipping back. My feet dig into the ground, and that's when Itachi attacks. With a wide punch to the side of my face. My eyes widen and a foot lifts up up kick us away just in time for his punch to go passed me. Using my momentum, I move to fall back into a back hand spring, lifting my foot in an attempt for me to meet his chin. However, he spins on the balls of his feet, moving around the kick and pushing my leg to the side. This throws me off balance only for a second. But it's a long enough second for him to get a kick into my lowered torso as I'm forced to swing by body to the left. I grunt and take the kick, stumbling as I do so. However, as he moves to follow up the kick, I catch his hand with my own, talons curled around his fist and a smile spread on my lips. My talons make their way down the lower part of his forearm, leaving nice scratches down them and giving me first blood. Not only this, but as this occurs I pull him in towards me, aiming for his face. He falls back, using his weight to unbalance me and bring me down to where he can clock me good in the jaw and then in the stomach. I'm forced to stumble back again. Next thing I know, he's hitting me left and right, bringing the speed up a notch. Oh, that rib hit is gonna bruise really well. I skid back, planting my feet in the ground to keep me from going any further.

Hands run through signs and settle on tiger. "Katon: Kitsune no Kyofu!" By my command, fire bursts up as though coming from the ground and begins to roar its way towards Itachi in the shape of multiple foxes with their fangs bared and eyes glowing hungrily.

He, being the genius he is, already knows how to counter act the fire, "Suiton: Kawaguchi Daibokufu no Jutsu!" And just as the name suggests, his jaws open up to spew out a large amount of water, which then clashes with my fire.

"Fuuton: Reppusho!" I command, refusing to allow my foxes to die out against the water. The water evaporates against the two combined C-rank jutsu.

The fire hits Itachi's body, and like any hungry meat eater, the foxes made of fire rip at skin and clothing. That is, until the clone dispels. This makes my eyes widen. A clone either the whole time or part of the time. "Kirigakure Jutsu," I hear from a tree, and I whip around to find him in a tree to my right. There, he holds his left arm straight up while the rest of his body is standing perfectly straight as well. His right arm crosses his chest, bringing his middle and pointer fingers to his lips. I watch with wide eyes as a thick chakra powered mist encompasses us both. Shit. My eyes can't see through this! Not even the famed Byakugan can see through this since it's laced with Chakra! And the Sharingan definitely can't see through it. In other words, I'm fucked. Where the hell did he learn this?

I growl to myself, my loose tail lashing around like an angry cat's, and crouch to place my right hand of talons into the earth's crust. Here, I feel for vibrations of any sort. Normally I'd make the mist go away right away, but I want to try this first. I feel my own heart beat...And...There! Quickly, I roll to my left as set of shuriken lash out at me, spinning as they fly and sticking into the ground where I was once crouching. Another set of shuriken fly at me, and my hand lashes out to cut them into pieces. This leaves my ribs right open, and Itachi sees this. I grunt as the foot makes contact with my left rib cage. However, I take this moment to wrap my tail around his foot and swing him away with powerful tug. The thing's not for show as I mentioned before. I waste no time now, unfurling my wings and letting them let out large gusts of wind to get rid of the mist. It takes about ten flaps to do this before they're furled at my back again. The Itachi I see still stunned from the throw is obviously a clone, as is shown by my throwing shuriken at him. Instincts act faster than my mind as I find my tail stopping Itachi's silent rush by jabbing out at him. He backs off and spins around my tail to lash out with a kunai. A single finger lashes out and cuts the blade in half. However, as he spins again, I spin myself the opposite way and jab my other set of claws at him. They end up at his throat. However, we fall to a complete stop, and I assess where we stand. A set of claws is gathered together to make a single point which is directed at his throat, centimeters away from taking the killing blow. He in the mean time has a second kunai pointed at my own throat, the broken one discarded on the ground and his hand balled into a fist. My wings are slightly unfurled, having helped me stop my backwards momentum and slightly protecting my open sides. My other hand is grabbed by a hand from behind me by the real Itachi as he holds a second kunai at my throat. My tail is pointed at his heart, as when I was spinning around and facing away from the clone in front of me, I saw him coming in.

We stay there for another second before the fight continues, me quickly lunching forward and sending my claws through the clone. As I'm pulled back towards Itachi, I use that momentum to spin towards him so I can see him. My tail acts and wraps around the arm with the kunai, and again my claws aim for his neck. A foot lifts up and kicks me in a pushing motion backwards, causing me to stumble from the power. My eyes widen as my tail's hold on his arm tightens and I ultimately bring him with me. I land on my back, Itachi himself on top of me and straddling my waist. His free hand catches him so that his face is in front of my own and we don't head butt one another. My tail continues to hold his kunai-ed arm. However, this doesn't leave my hands free to do anything as Itachi at lightning speeds picks himself up just enough to simply kneel over me and pull another kunai from his pouch to point it at my neck.

"Yield," he tells me, sweat dripping down his face. I can feel his pulse through my tail which is kind of weird.

I stare at the younger shinobi defiantly before sighing. Ahh, I put up a good fight and I got a good number of blows on him. I held my own pretty well actually I think. Even if he was going easy on me without using his Sharingan. I sigh again, "I yield," I tell him, and my tail releases his arm while he moves to get up.

And he would have too if it weren't for, "Alright nii-san! You beat her! I knew you would!" A familiar young voice speaks up.

This spooks the older Itachi, and he ends up over me again. However this time, both hands on either side of my head and his face is a lot closer than I expected it to be. Molten gold eyes meet midnight black for a moment or two unblinkingly. That is until he blinks and I win the staring contest. He gets up and off of me, and offers a hand with a light smile, which I take. "You're rather good, Cross-san".

"Just call me Cross; I hate honorifics," I tell him as I take his hand and he helps me up. I meet his eyes again, looking down to do so. And to think, I just got beaten by a thirteen year old- a boy who is three years younger than myself. "But thanks. I try," I jokingly say the last words.

"That you do," Itachi nods out. Our eyes now land on the little boy before us, and the older Uchiha sighs, "What did I tell you about following me out here Sasuke? You could have gotten hurt".

"But I didn't!" Sasuke insists "'Cause you protected me!" He beams to his brother, who I see smile back. His eyes then fall to my form and he mutters, "I guess you did a good job...You were that Anbu from yesterday weren't you? The one who captured the loser and took him to Hokage-sama?"

"Loser?" My eyes become a bit harsh, and I feel my fingers twitch in the urge to clench into a loose fist. As my tail wraps around my waist, I suppress the urge to lash it angrily.

"Yea. That Uzumaki boy," Sasuke answers, "He's such a loser. Always skipping class and sleeping when he actually comes. He can't do jutsus and he can't fight to save his life. I've beaten him like twenty times already. He should just give up".

"Sasuke," Itachi scolds, "Not everyone is gifted with fighting in their blood like the Uchihas are. Everyone learns at a different pace". It seems that he's slightly upset with the boy. Good. "You know better than that".

"But nii-san! It's true! I'm at the top of the class and he's all the way at the bottom! He's a dunce!"

Okay, that's it. My golden eyes narrow dangerously, and my claw tips meet up as my fingers curl into the best fist they can with my talons. "That 'dunce' or 'loser' is a good kid," I snap at him, making his young black eyes turn to me in surprise at my tone. "You have no idea how much potential that boy has, simply because he tries. It's because he doesn't give up that will make him not only an unstoppable shinobi, but also an incredible man". I can feel my chakra rising with my anger. That's not good. "You know nothing about him, brat," I snap, now bearing my fangs at him and making my way towards him. As I do, his tough guy look slowly falls, "You don't know how his family died or why, or who his parents were. You don't know what he goes through. I personally like the boy; I've talked with him and he has nothing but a want to be noticed". By now I'm standing in front of Sasuke who looks like he's about ready to piss himself. "If I ever hear you saying such bull shit in front of me, child, I will not hold back. You will feel the wrath of someone who cares about the boy. And if that happens, not even your beloved brother will be able to stop me. Got it?" The boy nods, "Good. Now beat it".

He looks to Itachi, who I see nods silently and Sasuke scrambles off with a small whimper. As I control myself again, I hear Itachi speak up, "While I don't like your method of scolding let alone threatening my brother in the slightest, I apologize for his behavior". He pauses, "You seem to care about Naruto greatly".

My eyes fall onto the Uchiha and I sigh, unclenching my hands as I do so, "It's not your fault. I kind of got carried away. And...Kakashi told me Naruto's story. I can't help but sympathize with how he feels about being the odd ball out". I look to the sky, finding the sun about half way through the sky. "Would you like to grab some lunch? My treat," I offer with a jerk of my thumb towards the village.

"I don't think I should," Itachi states simply, "I should get back to training, actually".

I scoff, "All work and no play makes Itachi a dull boy," I tell him and reach down to take a hold of his wrist. He doesn't fight and I smile. "Come on. Relax a little bit. You Uchihas work too hard if how much you train is any example of your clan".

"I'm a prodigy of my family; I have to uphold their name for my father, and as heir to head of the clan," Itachi tells me as I pull him along.

"Yes well, now you're going to be a clan head who knows how to relax as well as train," I smile to him.

It takes us little to no time to find our way walking through the business of the village, weaving through the people but keeping close to one another. After a good twenty minutes of silent walking, we make our way to a simple restaurant that served most common foods and various drinks of our choosing. Once given a table by a young woman who swooned at the sight of Itachi- despite her being in her mid twenties and he still a young teen- we order our food and drinks. While I order gozya and a kettle of sanpincha, Itachi simply orders onigiri and a kettle of hojicha.

While we wait for our food to arrive, our drinks having already made it to us, Itachi decides to take up a conversation. That's right, anti-social Itachi Uchiha started the talking. Not me. "Earlier...You said that you know how Naruto-kun feels about being the odd ball out...What does that mean?"

I pause in sipping my jasmine tea and sigh, placing it down on the table. "If you haven't noticed by now, you're dumber than you play yourself to be," I tell him with a slightly teasing smirk. But I get no reaction from the tease. Ugh, this kid needs to get out more. "Ahem. Anyways...As you know I have a pair of wings, a tail, talons, fangs," I shortly bear them at him, their tips stopping at my lower gums, "And finally, tapered ears," at this, I push some hair behind one of my ears to show that indeed, the tip is tapered. "I don't look human, and in all honestly I'm not- DNA tests say I'm not. While Naruto is completely human, he's treated like the demon he holds. I myself am given either odd or glaring glances by various people who see me as another living and breathing demon. I know what it's like to be shunned by those I wish to protect, even if it's in a smaller number than himself. And even if they don't dare try to attack someone who is naturally set up to tear off their faces". I purse my lips in disappointment. "To tell you the truth, I've only been in this village for three years. Before that, I lived in a tube in one of Orochimaru's famed bases- which as an Anbu Captain I'm sure you were told about at some point. Kakashi found me while on a mission, and he brought me here".

As I speak, I watch his eyes slowly widen to the position of a surprised face. It's not surprising that he knows Naruto's secret but not my own. Most shinobi- and people who don't hate me- assume I moved here three years ago as the last survivor of my clan from a small and unknown village. And that I was traumatized to the point of becoming a child again. "That's horrible," Itachi tells me with a frown on his lips. "I wish the people of this village, and those of other villages, weren't so close minded. If they could just try to understand those who aren't like them, maybe we could find peace".

"Words spoken like a pacifist, and yet you're one of the village's strongest shinobi," I note smartly as our food comes to us. We make a short thanks for the food before digging in.

After a few bites of his onigiri he admits, "I'd rather not fight. I'd rather try to talk things to a settling point before, if I absolutely have to, jumping into battle". So...He really is a pacifist..., "My father was the one who made me become a shinobi. To uphold our name and as heir to the clan. A head who will not or cannot fight is not an heir at all to him. Especially not when the Uchihas make up at least eighty percent of the village's police force".

"That's cruel," I tell him with a scoff, "Your father doing that to you. What of Sasuke? Is he forced to become a shinobi too?" I really don't like his dad. He sounds like a complete and utter ass.

Itachi shakes his head as he chews, showing that no, Sasuke isn't forced to become a shinobi. "Unfortunately, I am a role model for him. He wants to make our father- whom focuses on myself due to my skills and position in the clan- proud of him and pay attention to him".

"He seems pretty cocky for a neglected kid," I mutter through a bite of food.

The Uchiha sighs, "He's honestly a sweet boy. I wish he would drop this dream of becoming powerful like myself; I just want him safe".

I can't help but smile. A brother through and through it seems. "Sounds like you'd do anything for your brother".

"If you had one, wouldn't you?" Itachi questions.

That's a good question. If I had a brother. If I had a family- parents who raised me and loved me, a little brother who looked up to me or at the very least liked me- would I do anything to protect the little brother I had. "Yes," I decide, "With my life even. If I had a little brother to protect, and it was to protect him, I'd tear down a village for him". God knows that I have the power to do so.

Itachi nods once to me, "Then you and I are on the same track". We are? "As you now know, I hate to kill; everyone deserves to live their life to the fullest if they have done no wrong. However, I will kill and steal as many lives as I have to in order for my brother to survive in this world".


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Mission With A Party Pooper**

Today I have my form kneeling on one knee in front of Lord Hokage Sarutobi, my face hidden by the falcon mask I was given as an Anbu member. My clothing is that of the usual leather attire. My hair has been braided loosely as to keep my wings from getting tangled in it. To my immediate right is none other than Itachi Uchiha, also known as Weasel when on duty. Like he does when not on duty, he wears a high collared, short sleeved shirt with the Uchiha fan on the back. Over that is the standard Anbu torso armor. On his arms are forearms guards, however unlike most Anbu, he merely wears an armband under the straps so that they don't chafe. The rest of his arms and hands are bare. He wears his hitai-ate around its name sake under his mask. As opposed to the casual shorts, he wears long black pants, the ends taped down so that they don't catch on anything such as branches or bushes. To my far right is my team's Captain, Kakashi Hatake, AKA Dog. His gravity defying silver hair is slightly less gravity defying due to the fact that there is no hitai-ate due to the fact that it would cause issues with revealing his Sharingan should he need it. I know that under his dog mask, his left eye is closed.

"Weasel, Dog, Falcon. I have a mission for you that must be done with speed and grace. You three are some of my best shinobi, and I know that I can count on you. Weasel will be the head of this team, as he needs experience as a fresh captain. In leading you and Falcon, Dog, I know that if he slips up you will be able to understand him and pick up what slack is had. It has been reported that there is a group of twenty rouge ninja traversing through our lands with information on Orochimaru himself. I want you to find the leader, dispose of the underlings, and get that information. Those with bounties will have their intact bodies brought to the village, where those at the morgue will confirm who they are and the bounty will be given to the one who took them down with a small portion going to the village's treasury. Any questions?"

"Who is the leader?" Weasel questions from his position next to me.

"All information we have on the group is in this scroll," Sarutobi tosses the bundle of paper to Weasel, who catches it and stores it away for later read. "The group is a day's traverse away from here. You have today to get on their tails, tomorrow to fully track and do as needed, and the third day to return here by midnight. Dog".

"Sir," Dog answers.

"This here is something our spy managed to get a hold of before having to leave lest he be caught. It is not the leader's but a permanent member's belonging. Follow this trail and you will find the others". Sarutobi tosses Dog the bundle of cloth he had in his hand, and it's caught and also stored. "If there are no further questions...Scatter!"

"Yes sir!" We intone as one, and leave at top speed. With the men jumping from roof top to roof top and myself flying feet above the roof tops and flanking Weasel on his left, we speed our way through the village, through its gates, and into the woods. After fifteen minute's travel, we stop, and Dog momentarily removes his mask to take a long whiff of the cloth he was given.

"They've covered their tracks rather well," Dog tells us as we stand on branches, Weasel at point, myself on a tree and perched like a bird, and Dog leaning against a tree with a single hand. "But...," he takes a long inhale of the air about us, "They went north east".

Weasel nods before taking off in the aforementioned direction, Dog and I flanking him on his left and right respectively. Unlike in the village, my wings are now furled, seeing as I've gotta jump from tree to tree. If Weasel had told me to look ahead, I'd be above the canopy tops and soaring. However, that's not how it is right now. Still, as said, we're completely silent and the pace is a constant fast one as to quickly get onto the enemy's tail. Seeing as we took off late morning, around eleven o' clock today, we travel until the sun is fully set. Though I can see perfectly fine as though it were day in this dark setting, Dog and Weasel don't have my eye sight, even if they both did use their Sharingan to see better. It'd still be dull compared to mine. Therefore, we stop in a clearing.

"Make camp here," Weasel orders simply. The clearing we land in isn't too big, maybe twenty feet in radius. We don't want a huge place anyways."I will start a small fire. Falcon. You have the best eyes, find us some food that we might cook efficiently. Dog, set a parameter for us".

"Sir," Dog and I answer as one.

I take off with a simple push of my legs, and set to the trees again. I don't go far, as is protocol when appointed the hunter of the team and the others are setting up camp. We're Anbu, so we're silent enough even when traveling at high speeds that we don't scare away most animals. For a moment I'm tempted to take down the deer that nibbles on grass not far from my perch. However, we don't need meat that will last us more than a day. We need something like- ah! Here we are, rabbit. Two should be enough for the lot of us. I watch with hungry eyes as the rabbits that were foolish enough to stay out this late hop their way this way and that nibbling on near by things that I don't bother to take note of. I wait like the good huntress I am, staring down at the first of my targets. Not now...No...No...No...No...Wait...Wait...Now! I launch myself at a slight angle to get to the little vermin, but before my feet or hands can touch the ground and tell the other one that I'm there, my wings snap open and with a strong push take me up to the next tree as a hand kills the rabbit swiftly, breaking its neck with ease. I falls silent as my wings furl tightly to my back again, and I look around for my second target. Again I play a waiting game when there's the sound of a twig snapping, and the rabbit's ears and head perk up with a startle. It begins to run and I growl to myself. Damn fox! That's my target! I launch myself down from the tree, my first kill in one hand and my other talons at the ready I bob and weave between trees as I race the small red furred fox to the weaving rabbit that tries to get away from its only known predator. With a final push, I beat the fox, and scoop the rabbit up, snapping its neck with a single squeeze and making a sharp turn around the nearest tree back towards my team mates. I've been out for about twenty minutes, and by the time I'm back, a parameter has already been set and I can see a fire made. I land silently, and then land in the clearing. The guys obviously knew it was me.

"I got to rabbits, Captain. I know that one and a half will sustain myself and Dog. What of yourself?" I question through my falcon mask.

Weasel looks up to me from the fire and his sitting position in the dirt. "That will be plenty. Thank you Falcon. If you will hand me one, I will help you skin and cook them while Dog is keeping watch".

I nod silently and toss him a dead animal, sitting across from him in front of the fire. While he sets to pulling out a kunai and skinning the rodent, I merely rely on my claws as per usual. I don't know what I'd do if they were suddenly taken from me. The same goes for any of my other unique features. It takes little to no time at all to pull off the pelt, which is placed into a storage scroll to give to a pelt trader within the village for a small fee. The bones are thrown into the fire, and soon enough multiple speared chunks of meat are set in front of the fire to be cooked. I catch the scroll tossed to me, recognizing it as the one Hokage-sama gave to Weasel hours ago. I open up the scroll and read. The leader's name is Sosuke, he is of average build and look with brown hair and eyes and glasses with black rims. He's about five foot six and is a former Jonin of Konoha, making him at the very least a low B rank target. Those who follow him are all nameless for the most part, with him and his second in command Gin- a man with white hair and a fox like look to him and a height of five foot five and a half, and another missing nin but him being from Suna- being the only ones with notable bounties. According to intel, they both work under Orochimaru but are low in ranking. I note that it's possible that neither Sosuke nor Gin know Orochimaru's plans for anything in general, this being a dead end. However, seeing as Sosuke was a Konoha nin and could easily give away weaknesses of the village, he needs to be caught and killed. Normally this would be a Hunter Nin's job. But seeing as the group is large, and a Hunter Nin is known for their skills on flying solo, they'd be swamped by the number of men we're currently going after- low ranked or not. All this I read and ponder to myself while I'm eating my share of the rabbit. When I'm done, I stand and walk to Dog's side, handing him the scroll and relieving him of his duty.

After about ten minutes, I hear Weasel speak up from behind and below my perch in a tree. If you haven't guessed yet, I like to be high up and off the ground. "Falcon, are thing clear?"

"Yes sir".

"Come, we need to plan ahead so that we can simply move into position once we find our intended targets," he tells me, and I do as told. "According to Dog, our targets have started to move directly east, towards the Hi-Kaze border. When they cross that border, they're no longer in our juristitction unless we get permission from Suna through Konoha to cross. Therefore, they cannot get even close to crossing. We will be doing a simple pincer movement, with Dog and I on their tails. You, Falcon, have the most advantage in terms of travel. You can fly ahead and cut the targets off when we drive them to you. When they are cornered, we will use whatever method needed to take the weaker ones down. However, we will be keeping Sosuke and Gin alive for interrogation. When we have what information we can get, then they will be killed. But not before then. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Dog and I answer as one.

"Good. Falcon, because it is getting towards the darkest time of night, you will take first watch. This will also allow you to rest before we head out again as you have the farthest distance to travel. I will take the second watch, and Dog will take third. Understood?" We nod. "Good. Dog, rest. Falcon, take to your position. I will douse the fire and then rest myself". Again, Dog and I nod, with me soon enough taking to a high branch to keep my look out from.

I watch like a guardian from above as the men of my team fall into a gentle sleep. Not light, as to wake up from even the wind, but not so hard as to not be woken up by even a tornado. It is a type of sleep that every Anbu must be able to do, lest they be a liability to their team members. Too light a sleeper and they get no sleep, therefore leaving them tired, weakened and sometimes even short tempered or reckless. Too heavy a sleeper and if the camp is ambushed and someone tries to wake them up, that person could get killed, or the sleeper could be killed without waking up in the first place. The men sleep with their masks on, something else required of Anbu when on a multi day long mission. Our masks are our identity during any mission large and small, long and short. If our true identities are found and it leads the enemy to our village, we are at fault for putting those we aimed to protect in danger. This is also why we go by code names via the masks we wear. However, so that we don't have to adapt too much- at least in Konoha- we are given masks that Hokage-sama thinks either fits our attributes as a shinobi or cleverly hints to our name. For example, my code name is Falcon, my mask being made with a sharp beak and markings like that of feathers along the cheeks and around the eyes. Kakashi is called Dog because of his keen sense of smell despite not being an Inuzuka, as well as due to his summoning contract with the dogs. Itachi's name translates to Weasel, simple as that. Other examples are the Tsu triplets: Saiai Tsu, Churitsu Tsu, and Nikun Tsu. Their names are given to them thanks to their attributes as shinobi. Saiai is a speed fighter. He relies on his stream line body and the power in his legs to give him strength when it comes to taijutsu. He relies in the speed in which he can move his hands and fingers from handsign to handsign when it comes to ninjutsu as well. He's a far range fighter. Therefore his code name is Cheetah. His little brother, the middle triplet of the three, Churitsu is an all around well balanced shinobi. Compared to his brothers, he's like a jack of all trades. Being both fast and strong, but not as fast as Saiai nor as strong as Nikun. He is a mid range fighter, making his title as an Anbu member Tiger. Nikun is a power fighter and over all brawler. He's very well built in the area of muscle, and is even considered bulky compared to his older brothers. He is a short range fighter and relies on taijutsu more than anything else. Hokage-sama gave him the title of Lion. There are no two 'animals' in the Anbu Corps, even if there is more than one short ranged fighter among us.

I sigh and look to the half moon above me before noting that my watch is over. Therefore, with a nimble jump and a crouch to cushion the landing, I come down from my perch and silently make my way to Weasel's spot for sleep. I'll be taking his spot, using the fact that it's already warm there to my advantage. Just as Weasel will take Dog's spot when it's his turn to sleep.

"Captain," I mutter lowly, my molten golden eyes glowing in the dark of night and from behind my mask. There's a slight movement and a faster in take of breath, to show me he's awoken, "It's your turn to take watch".

He sits up and stands from his spot, quickly stretching to rid him of any sleep that lingers on his mind, "Thank you Falcon. Rest; you've earned it".

I smile behind my mask. He makes a good leader. "Thank you sir".

My rest doesn't feel as long as it really was, and I soon find a silver haired man crouching in front of me and placing a hand lightly on my shoulder. My golden orbs look passed the mask and see an alert dark one, "Time to go, Falcon," he tells me.

"Right," I nod and sit up before stretching and pushing myself to my feet. I look to Weasel, whose gaze is on me. "I'll be taking off then, if I have the okay".

"Take this transmitter and once it's in your ear put it on channel three. It has a twenty mile radius, so you have a decent amount of area to travel. However, the border is thirty miles from here. Leave now and find them quickly report to us once you have a direction and stop ten miles off of the border".

"Yes sir," I state, taking the transmitter and putting it in my ear and putting it onto channel three as told. From there, I quickly stretch my wings twice by flapping them in a direction away from the men. Then I take off due east. The fly is a swift paced one, and do not fear to slide my mask to over my right ear- the one with the transmitter in it- for no one will see me from up here. Taking off the mask also helps me see better as it gives me my peripherals back. What I find about an hour after flying, two and a half hours by tree branch I figure, is the group of about twenty rogue shinobi traveling at low Jonin speeds due east as we figured they be. I estimate they're about twenty miles off of the border. It is now that I press myself for more speed, and soon enough I find myself right over the group. "This is Falcon to Weasel and Dog. I've found the targets. They are about five miles away from you, traveling at low Jonin speed by tree branch. As mentioned, there are approximately twenty of them. I will travel five miles ahead of them, and fall into position. Over".

"Roger that Falcon," Weasel responds moments later.

With that said, I nod to myself and take off at a faster pace, pushing for more distance coverage. This doesn't take long at all, and soon enough I find myself in position, reporting that to the men, and perched on a tree. It takes little to no time at all, in comparison to if we hadn't done this pincer attack, for me to catch sight of our targets. It seems that there are those who fell behind and fell victim to either Weasel or Dog therefore making the number smaller. When they get to me, I fall from my perch and stand before them. Sosuke leads them into a stop with wide eyes. Around his bicep is a Konoha hitai-ate with a scratch through the metal to show his missing status. His clothing is simple, being that of a red shirt and black pants, weapons pouches on his hips and thighs as needed. Clashing and taking care of those before us is the hard part. Pinning Sosuke and Gin in place for interrogation was the easiest part of the whole mission.

Weasel wastes no time in sliding his mask to the side, showing Sharingan eyes boring into Sosuke's orbs. Dog does the same, showing Gin his single Sharingan eye. "Where is Orochimaru? What are his plans?"

Sosuke squirms under Weasel's strong hold, eyes unable to look away from the toma-ed eyes. After what feels like forever, which was only about a few seconds, Sosuke breaks with a shutter. "I don't know! Really I don't! All I was told to do was gather as much men as possible and move over Hi no Kuni's eastern border then move south along the border! He said someone would meet with us, but he didn't say when, or who or what would happen after words!"

"I dun know anything either," Gin follows up. "We're just lowly followers of his Lord. That's all we have to give you. You might as well as kill us".

Weasel is silent for a moment before looking to me, "Very well," he speaks up, eyes still on my own, "Falcon. Take these men's lives".

"Yes sir," I tell him simply. I crouch between the heads of the men, seeing as they're pinned on the ground on their backs. I show them my face, simply because they won't be seeing another woman's ever again and simply because I can. I position my claws above their hearts, "Good night, gentlemen". That said, claws enter their chest cavities, spilling blood. As soon as my claws are removed, they are put into separate storage scrolls by the men while I wash my claws clean. The scrolls are then given to me, seeing as I was the one to murder them both and therefore I get their bounties.

The travel home takes a lot less time than the travel to our targets, seeing as we have no one to track or follow with stealth. We left no trace of the attack, meaning that all bodies were placed into a fire jutsu combined with a wind jutsu to burn away even their bones. Upon making it back home, we report to Sarutobi right away, each of us kneeling before him loyally as we did before we left in the first place.

The old man looks down at the three of us, "I trust your mission was a success?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Weasel speaks for the three of us. He pulls a scroll from his shuriken pouch and offers it to the old man, "I have a report here".

"Very good," the old man praises. "With this report and the bodies turned in by Falcon, I declare your mission over. You three may relax for a few days. Rise and be on your way, knowing you did your village proud".

I smile from behind my mask as we stand as one and remove our masks as one as well. We turn after short bows from each of us to our leader before exiting the room. "Well, that was fun," I smile out lightly".

"Fun?" Itachi looks at me as though questioning my sanity.

"Fun," I nod out. "Not the killing people. That was just necessary. The fun part was where I got to fly a bunch".

There's a chuckle from my far left as I walk on Itachi's right. "You would only care about that part," Kakashi chuckles out, hands in his pockets. "What do you two say to lunch? We'll split the bill?"

I grin a fang filled grin. I'm starved. "I'm game". My eyes slide to Itachi, "How about you, Mr. Captain?" I question with a light tease.

"I should go report to my father. I'm sure he knows by now that I'm home," Itachi states.

I sigh and shake my head, "Seriously? Come on! Eat with us! He can't blame you for eating can he?"

"No, but-"

"No 'buts' mister," I push my shoulder against his lightly, "No way is a friend of mine gonna miss out on a good lunch with his friends".

Itachi looks from me to Kakashi slowly, his anti-social young teen mind not seeming to comprehend such a word. "You're...My friends?"

"Yea!" I grin out to him. He's shorter than me, but I'm sure that in a few years he'll be taller than me. "I don't know about Kakashi, but I know for sure that you're my friend. And I'm yours".

Kakashi shrugs out, "A friend of Cross' is a friend of mine I suppose". Oh there he goes, using that cool guy tone that Guy hates so much. He acts lazy when he's actually quite alert. Show off.

Itachi is silent for a moment before going on to say, "...I should report to my father. I'm sorry". Before I can protest any more, he's gone with a poof.

I grunt, "Party pooper". My eyes slide to Kakashi, "We still on for going out to lunch?" I get a casual nod, "Awesome! It's a date then".

Kakashi's single eye slides over to me curiously, "A date huh?"

"Yup!" I grin, not really knowing what exactly those words imply. However, for the rest of the day, Kakashi seems visibly more happy. I wonder why?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Distractions Thanks To the Captain**

"Cross...Cross," my eyes open up to find a single black eye staring down at me. Too close! I startle and jump from my bed. However, I don't land right and end up gracefully on my ass.

I groan at the sudden pain to my poor tail, as I had landed on it, "Damn it Kakashi! What did I tell you about doing that?" Damn him, getting too close for my comfort. I glare at him hostilely. This apartment is the only place where I can actually relax and get a deepish sleep. And he uses it to his advantage to creep up on me like that. "What the hell do you want? Is it my turn to make breakfast or something?" We alternate on who makes what meals every other day. Did I mention that I'm not a morning person? I suck it up during a mission- or use my foul mood to my advantage- but yea. I hate being woken up by anyone other than myself.

Kakashi eye smiles at me with a shake of his head, "Nope!"

"Then what?"

"It's just time for you to get up. Why don't you go and see if Hokage-sama has any missions for you?"

I sigh and shake my head before placing my hands on his chest and pushing him backwards out of the room, "Fine fine! But you have to get out so I can get dressed". I watch as he looks down to my attire to find that I'm in nothing but a short sleeved shirt that's too big for me and some undies.

I also watch as his eye widens and the bridge of his nose is dusted with pink, "S-sorry!" He offers. "I-I figured you had more than just...Just...," he trails off. I blink rapidly as he seems to fall into something every guy his age tends to do...Look me over. I can't help but blush and glare all in one, silently waiting for him to snap out of his boyish ways.

However, he takes too long for my likings, and I snap, "Pervert!"

This seems to do the trick, and his eye meets both of mine. "I- Wait!" I push him harder out of my room. "Come one Cross! You know I didn't mean to look at you like that! H-hey!" Just as I slam the door on him, he questions, "Hey, isn't that my shir-," enter slam of the door here.

"No!" I growl out. Actually, it is. Not that I'd tell him that.

I sigh in slight frustration. No mission today? Why not? I need something to do damn it! I sigh again as I walk out of Hokage Tower, a slight stomp to my foot. "Thanks a lot old man!" I throw my hands into the air. "'It's a beautiful day! A girl your age should be outside having fun with her boyfriend or just her friends'. I don't even have a boyfriend. And I can't find hide nor hair of Yugao or Kuranai. Maybe they're on missions? It'd make sense since I can't find Guy or Asuma. And Iruka is off teaching at the academy". I sigh as I walk down the street in my usual leather attire, hands behind my head casually as I watch the blue sky. Maybe I can just fly the day away.

"Come Itachi! We're gonna be late if you keep on walking so slow!" I hear a young familiar voice, which then grunts as the voice's owner runs into my legs. I look down to see Sasuke staring up at me with an unhappy gaze to his eyes. However, I can tell he remembers last time he saw me when he dissed Naruto and made me angry. "Hey! Look where you're going!" But, like any prideful boy, he ignores the fact that I could kill him in an instant. Not that I would.

I raise a brow but roll my eyes afterwords. I'm not in the mood to play; it's been an annoying morning. "Sorry Sasuke," I tell him before making my way forward.

"Cross?" Itachi speaks up as I begin to pass him. There's a look of confusion on his otherwise calm face. "Are you alright? You seem rather unhappy".

I sigh and look to him, "I'm bored out of my mind, Itachi," I tell him. "First, Kakashi wakes me up for no reason. Then he stares at me because all I ever sleep in is a long shirt and undies. Then I go off to see Hokage-sama to see if I have any missions. Nope. What does he tell me to do instead? 'It's a beautiful day! A girl your age should be outside having fun with her boyfriend or just her friends'. I can't find any of my friends; I refuse to talk to Kakashi until I go home. You're the only friend who doesn't seem to be busy with a mission, but instead you're with Sasuke. I refuse to take you from him let alone try. And finally, I don't even have a boyfriend". All this I end with an annoyed huff.

I watch as the two brothers blink identically dark eyes at me. That is until, "You should come with us to the Academy," Itachi offers. "Iruka decided to do something called 'share your shinobi sibling'. According to Sasuke, those with shinobi roots can bring either a clan member or even a parent or a sibling. Sasuke opted to tag me along, obviously".

I ponder on this for a little while before sighing. I'm not a huge fan of kids but...I would like to see just what Iruka is planning. Maybe finally giving the kiddies a break or something? I don't know. "I guess I'll tag along with you," I shrug out and join them in walking. It doesn't take us long to get there, and soon enough we're in the very room where I last saw Iruka teaching. I see shinobi that I've either worked with or simply seen passing by. Most of them the latter. A few of them I've worked with, like the Inuzuka boy's sister, and the Aburme boy's father. As Sasuke and Itachi go to the former's desk, I look around cluelessly. The only one without a family member is..., "Naruto!" I smile to him. His head picks itself up off the desk as he hears an obviously familiar voice. I don't bother to put on the mask that lays hidden in my left shuriken pouch. I doubt he'll let on to knowing who I am when he sees my leather clad form. He's not as stupid as he looks. I think he just sucks ass at tests and doesn't learn well simply from learning from a book as most of our shinobi do. In all reality, he's probably a kinetic learner. Vibrant blue eyes land on my leather clad form and his eyes widen when he realizes that I'm looking right back at him. He points at himself questioningly, and I beam and nod before making my way towards him. I sit in front of him on his desk. "Is it alright if I play the role of 'sibling' for you?"

"Ummmm...Lady...You're pretty and all but...Who are you?" See? Told you he wouldn't.

I roll my molten golden orbs, "Come now," I tell him, leaning forward and lowering my voice to a whisper. "It's much too loud in here for anyone to hear you when they're paying attention to someone else. I know you know who I am". Come on. Make me right.

He's silent for a moment before I hear his mouth open, "...Falcon...?"

"Bingo," I sing song. "I heard that this nonsense was going on and decided to come along and play the role of sister". I grin to him. Thanks Itachi. You're helping put light into this boy's eyes.

His eyes are wide and hopeful, "You'd do that for me? I thought you hated me since I always caused you and Dog trouble".

I laugh, "No. You make my days entertaining. It's funny to watch full grown Anbu men and women scramble to catch one kid". This makes him beam to me, and I get up before easily vaulting over the desk and sitting down next to him.

"Alright everyone!" I hear Iruka's voice call over all the talking. "If you will all find seats to sit in next to your family members, that would be great!" It takes little to no time for the older shinobi to do as their told, getting the ninja wannabes to do as their told as well. I'm sure that made Iruka's life a whole lot easier. "Alright. So, I'm fairly certain that the children have explained to you what I wanted to do today. It's something a little different, but it encompasses team work and allows family members to bond as I'm sure you don't see your brother or sister or whomever you brought with you today as much as you like. We should be grateful that Hokage-sama has agreed to let this occur, seeing as so many of our active shinobi aren't on missions as they rightly should be. Now. We will be doing multiple things today, each of which I'll explain when we get to them. First thing's first. The one who was brought along to class will come to the front and introduce themselves. Their name, age, rank, and if they so please, what type of ninja skill they specialize in if they do". His eyes roam the class room, "Who would like to go first?"

It is silent and then, "I'll go first, Iruka-san," a man speaks up, standing from a blonde girl's side. His own hair is blonde, however a lighter tint than his daughter's, and his eyes are pupiless and blue-green. His hair itself is has a spiky top layer, while the rest of it is in a long pony tail. Over a long sleeved black shirt and a flack jacket, he wears a red haori as well as black pants and shinobi sandals. His hitai-ate is around its namesake, and his jaw is strong and defined.

Iruka smiles, "Excellent. Thank you". He remains behind his desk, out of the way for the guest to take the floor. Literally.

The blond man makes his way down the large stairs of the room before coming to the level ground that is the front of the room. "My name is Inoichi Yamanaka, I am Ino's father, and head of the Yamanaka clan. Currently, I am thirty eight years old, and I am a Jonin of this village as well as part of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force, Intelligence Division. As my profession suggests, I specialize in not using physical means of breaking someone for information, but rather the mental means. I break my way into someone's mind and steal what information they cannot keep from me". That said, he makes his way to his spot next to his daughter.

Next to come down to the front is a man who carries himself in such a way that it seems lazy. He has a short and pointy goatee, and his hair is pulled up into a spiky pony tail while being a dark color like his eyes. His ears are pierced, and the right side of his face sports two scars; both being diagonal and pointing towards the middle of his forehead, one just above his eyebrow on the side of his face and the other on his chin. He wears a short sleeved fishnet shirt under a dark green flack jacket and what looks to be a deer skin jacket. On his hands are hand guards, and his pants are of the usual dark color and long. His words are slow, but not so slow as to droll, just...Placed as though he didn't feel like being here. He sighs, "My name, is Shikaku Nara, I am Shikamaru's old man. I am head of the Nara clan, a deer hearder, and a Jonin Comander. I'll probably be making up all of your teams strategies when you go out on a mission. If I don't, then the mission probably isn't a high enough rank. Right now I'm thirty eight like Inoichi, and over all I'm a strategist. I assure you, I can think of a thousand ways to kill each and every one of you while you're sitting there without me really having to do much". So he's confident in his skills...I like him. I grin.

Next up is a large guy, his body round but not even close to being fat. You can tell by the way he walks that all of that roundness is nothing but muscle. This guy has long, red hair and purple markings on his cheeks, and he seems to constantly keep his eyes closed for some reason. He wears a samurai like outfit which is a black suit completed with armor that has the kanji for 'food' on it. He also wears a rope belt, hand-guards, and instead of a hitai-ate, there is a hachimaki tied around his head. At some point in time, he also wears a pair of silver hooped earrings for whatever reason. As he speaks, his tone of voice is friendly and kind, "It's nice to meet you all. My name is Choza Akimichi, I am the head of the Akimichi clan and the father of a wonderful son- whom you all know as Choji. Like my two good friends Inoichi and Shikaku, I am a young thirty eight, and I'm a Jonin of our home. To put what I specialize in simply, I focus around my clan's own special jutsus and use them to my advantage in any way I can. Thank you for listening to me talk on". Politely the man bows, and he makes his way back to his son, who sits behind Naruto and I. Nice guy. It's always the nice ones you don't wanna piss off the most. Piss them off, and they'll tear you apart.

"It's nice to meet the lot of you!" This man speaks up. "My name is Kizashi Haruno, and I am my lovely little cherry blossom's, Sakura's, father".

There's an embarrassed groan of, "Dad," and I hear a face palm. Heh. Poor girl, having to deal with such a friendly man.

"I may not look it, but I was once a Jonin of this village, and have the luck of living to the age of forty two. Sadly, due to an injury to my knee, I can no longer fight to the fullest of my ability. I used to specialize in Genjutsu". Kizashi is a kind-faced man with blue eyes, and dull-pink hair which is styled into the shape of a cherry blossom. He also has sideburns which flow into his angular mustache and a bit of stubble on his chin. He wears a dark, loose-fitting kimono-shirt which has a green, inner-lining and sleeves which extend beyond his kimono shirt. This is held closed by a simple obi which he wears along with a burgundy colored three quarters length pants, and a pair of simple slippers. He also wears a simple silver necklace with a pink cherry blossom design on it with a single petal being deep red in color. With a grin to us and a chuckle at his daughter's groaning, his struts his way happily back to his spot, ruffling his daughter's hair lovingly before he sits.

Next up is one of the few people I've worked with in my short shinobi career. She casually makes her way down the stairs and takes the front of the room with the air of confidence I knew she would. She's a Chunin, and I've only talked to her about once or twice while not on a mission, but she's a likable woman. Hana has long brown hair which she wears in a ponytail with two locks of hair framing her face and, large, black eyes. She also wears a light shade of lipstick and has the traditional fang-like tattoos of the Inuzuka clan on both of her cheeks, in addition to a tattoo on her upper right arm that resembles a flower. Hana wears a form-fitting variation of the Konoha flak jacket which doesn't have any chest pockets and she keeps the front of her jacket unzipped, exposing her cleavage She also wears a pair of form-fitting shorts cut just above the knee, bandages just below her tattoo and wrist-warmers. Hana noticeably has a softer appearance than the other members of her family, not having extended canines or slit-like eyes, and wild, untamed hair. I think she might have gotten those features from her dad. Or maybe that's simply how some Inuzuka look. "Afternoon all," she speaks, her tone and body language obviously much more clam than compared to what I've heard her mother to be. The way the brother dresses, he takes after his mother. "My name is Hana, I'm eighteen, and if you can't guess what clan I'm from, then that's your own issue. These three ninken are my partners for life, the Himaru Brothers. Though I'm a Chunin, I'm a Medic Nin, so feel free to come to me if you need to be patched up. If any of you find a hurt animal, you can also bring them to my veterinary clinic on the edge of my clan's compound. I'm there most of the time". She travels her way back to her spot, the Himaru Triplets trotting ahead of her and each taking a spot around her chair- one on each side and the third behind her.

Continuing along with the introductions- which are taking a lot longer than I honestly expected them to- a young woman with brown hair to her shoulders, pale lavender and pupiless eyes, and your traditional kimono for a woman walks down the stairs and bows low. "Greetings. I am a Chunin from the Hyuuga clan's branch family, here for Hinata-sama. My name is Sumi, I am twenty years old, and I am proficient in my clan's art. Please take care of Hinata-sama while I am not here. Thank you". Sumi lightly makes her way up the stairs. But in those dainty steps that make her seem shy, I see a strong woman.

The next guy I've only heard stories about in that he's a bit on the creepy side. However, I've yet to see anyone from the Aburme clan who isn't at least a little bit on that weird side. Shibi, like all members of his clan for whatever reason, has his eyes obscured by dark glasses which feature a single tassel hanging down from one-side. He has very spiky short black hair and a moustache. He wears a high collared outfit, while carrying a gourd on his back that is used for holding kikaichu- which are special bugs that also live in his body and act something like ninken do for the Inuzukas. "My name is Shibi Aburne. I am a Jonin and am age thirty nine. I am also Shino's father". That's all he gives us. Not surprising. I've had a good number of missions with at least one Aburme on is and no matter who it is, they're very cautious and don't underestimate a single thing.

Finally, Itachi decides to stand from his spot, causing girls and women alike to let their eyes land on him and begin to spew something about his beauty. There's girls who say, 'He's just as hot as Sasuke-kun!' And there's women who giggle to one another, 'He's going to be a gorgeous man when he's older'. I can practically see the lust dripping from those words. Itachi stands before the class room silently, and doesn't speak for a moment or two. When my eyes meet his own, though, he does talk. "My name is Itachi Uchiha. I am Sasuke's older brother, and I am thirteen years old. Currently, I am an Anbu Captain". Being Itachi, of course he refuses to give out anything other than that. For whatever reason, his eyes won't leave mine as he talks. Maybe he's telling me not to give much away as well? That's probably a good idea.

"Alright everyone, we have one more person to go and then we can begin the fun," Iruka smiles out. "Cross, if you would please finish this off?"

"Sure thing Iruka," I grin out. I stand, and make my way easily down the stairs, my strides even and confident. Once in font of the room, I stand there with my arms casually crossed under my bust, feet shoulder width apart and a smirk on my face. "Nice to meet you all. Some of you I've worked with, some of you I've only heard about. And for you kiddies, I'll give you my name. I'm Cross, and even though it's not on paper, Naruto back there is my kid brother through and through. As of today, I'm seventeen years old, and I'm an Anbu. As for how I fight. Heh. Make it to Anbu and we'll have a spar". I grin, flashing them harmless fangs. I look over to my friend and tilt my head casually, "That good enough for you, Iruka?"

He nods. "Perfect". I make my way casually to Naruto's side again, using his head as an arm rest much to his disliking. "Now, I was going to do a trivia round but...I'm not sure we have enough time for that". The lot of us shake our heads. No one wants to answer trivia questions on a nice day like this. Silly Iruka, being all teacher-y even to us Jonin and Anbu. "Alright. Then we'll head outside to the three legged race". Cool!

As we file out of the room, I find myself next to Itachi, while Sasuke is on his free side, and Naruto is on my own. The little blonde ball of energy couldn't be more excited for something like this. I can't blame him. However, Sasuke decides to be a dick. "So dobe. How come no one ever told you that you were on the good side of an Anbu?"

"Sasuke," Itachi chastises, "That was rude. Apologize immediately". He's obviously unhappy with the over confidence and snobbish behavior from the boy. I've seen this syndrome in many Uchihas and Hyuugas before though. Their Kekkei Genkai are the two most powerful in the village, and two of the most famous in the entire shinobi world. Of course they'd get cocky. I hate it.

"Shut up Sasuke! Just because your brother is blood related to you doesn't make my sister any less awesome!" Naruto growls out from my right, and I can't help but smile at the come back. Sure he should have kept his mouth shut, but still being called awesome is pretty awesome in itself. "Right, Fal- I mean...Cross-chan?"

Oh good, he didn't call me by my title. I don't need that nonsense, "You should have kept your mouth shut too, mister," I scold him lightly, making a frown mar is face and his blue eyes lower unhappily. "But...It's awesome being called awesome, let alone being called your sister, is awesome in and of itself".

Blue eyes light up like a crack of lightning and he beams up to me, "Really?! You really mean that?"

I grin down at him and ruffle his blonde hair, "You betcha kiddo". I really do like this kid. He's such a pure soul. It takes us no time at all to make it to the outside of the Academy, and yet we remain within the walls of the grounds.

"Alright, pair up with your family members, and then tie together your closest legs. We're going to have a three legged race," Iruka instructs as he hands off rope for us to tie our legs together.

"Really? What a drag," the Nara members intone as one, sighing as they do so. Heh. Like father like son I guess.

"Yes, Shikaku-san, Shikamaru, really," Iruka replies simply.

"Hold still Naruto while I do this. Okay?" I tell the blond, and he nods once while I bring our legs nice and close to tie them off. He really is a tiny boy for his age. But, no matter. I'm sure he'll sprout up when he's older. He nods and does as told.

Once everyone is tied as they should be and Iruka has checked all of the ropes, he stands before us. We lot are lined up in front of a simple land mark: the doors of the Academy. "Alright everyone. The name of the game is to go around the Academy three times and be in first place to win. What you win will be told later. No ninjutsu, it's a race so you can't use any handsigns. No genjutsu, on that note, either. You may attack one another, but do not aim to kill nor seriously injure. It's a game, not a life or death situation. No going over the Academy. The more experienced shinobi are just here to be along for the ride. The kids must find a way to win their own way. If the idea is a bad one, say nothing; they need to learn. If all these rules are understood...Then get ready...Set...Go!"

While everyone else takes off, my eyes fall to a panicking Naruto who grabs at his hair and muttering about how he's going to fail and make us both look like losers. Especially in front of Sakura. A crush does he have? Looks like it. "Come now Naruto," I prompt, "Calm down and think. Iruka said no nin or genjutsu. But he never said we couldn't use other tools".

"Yea! But I don't have anything really other than crappy kunai and shuriken! We're already in the back! If we attack anyone we'll be slower!" He pauses before looking me over, "You wouldn't happen to have some cool and fancy ninja gear other than shuriken and kunai would you?"

I raise a brow, "I've got ninja wire, smoke bombs, explosive tags and sticky bombs. But that's it".

Naruto grins. And motions for me to give them to him, which I do. "I've got a plan. We're gonna set traps". Naruto...You sly fox you! 'Atta boy! We hobble our way this way and that, setting up different traps here and there. The first round of traps will be wonderful to see. When we hear foot steps coming, I leap, taking Naruto up with me to the roof of the Academy. We're not going over it, we're just on it. We watch as It's Kiba and Hana at the front, being followed up by Ino and Inoichi surprisingly enough. Just a little closer and...Bam! As soon as a pair of feet trip the ninja wire that Naruto set up, sticky bombs come flying their direction, having been thrown my home made trip sling shots. They hit not their bodies, but the ground and their feet. I watch with amazement as Naruto's trap works wonderfully, trapping not only the Yamanaka pair, but the Inuzuka, Akimichi, and Haruno pairs as well. Naruto smiles me and questions. "Ready?"

"When you are, Captain," I nod out with a beaming grin. His eyes widen and he stares at me for a second. I don't know why calling him Captain would make him so happy but...It did.

"Then let's go!" He points forward.

"Yes sir!" I cheer, and wrap my tail around his torso around his arms and around my upper leg. His arms wrap around my waist, and his free leg wraps around his and my tied ones. This gives us a good amount of stability as I take off and dive towards the ground. With a strong push of my wings, we don't land on the earth's crust, but fly a few feet above it. It takes us no time at all for us to catch up to those who weren't caught by the first trap. That is, Itachi and Sasuke in the front, with Shino and Shibi coming close to them, next up the Hyuuga pair, with finally- amazingly- the Nara pair in the back. As we pass up the Nara par and the Hyuuga pair, that just leaves the Aburme and Uchiha pairs to pass. And we're already on the second round. As I push forward, I feel the tiny bugs of the Aburme clan crawling on my skin, but do nothing. I know for a fact that my chakra well- and Naruto's for the matter- is big enough that it will take the bugs a while before they can really start to drain either of us.

"Deploy smoke bombs!" Naruto commands over the air that whips passed us as we pass up the Aburme pair. I pull multiple smoke bombs from my left shuriken pouch and let them hit the ground, obscuring the path behind us. "Now...Fly like you never flew before Cross-chan!"

"Sir!" I nod out, and grin to myself. "Hold on for dear life, Captain," I tell him. I grin, and bring my wings up and forward as we hover for just a second. Just as we're about to slow down, I push as hard as I can, shooting us forward and kicking up whirl winds of dust and air behind us. I repeat this multiple times before finally we soar passed the finish line and there's a bell rung by Iruka. Hearing this, I flip our bodies over, furl my wings and let us fall into the ground. "Plant your feet...Now Naruto," I tell him as my free hand of talons meet the earth and tear it up, while two pairs of feet plant their balls to help my talons. Seeing as we're not slowing down fast enough for my likings, I unfurl my wings and let them catch the wind, which in the end brings us to a complete stop. When we are stopped, I pull my talons out of the now torn up ground and shake whatever left over dirt is on them.

"Winners of the three legged race are: Naruto and Cross!" Iruka calls out as the others either finally get out of the messy glob that they were caught by the sticky bombs or simply catching up to us.

"Alright!" I cheer, Naruto and I releasing each other while my tail easily cuts through the rope holding us together. I crouch a bit and hold out my clawed hand for a low-five, "Give me five, Captain". His smaller hand slaps mine in enthusiasm.

As we settle, Sakura, now untied from her father and sticky-less, questions, "Umm. Cross-san...? Why do you keep on calling Naruto 'Captain'?"

"Why do you think?" I raise a brow. "Naruto was the team leader. In Anbu terms, that makes him the Captain. If he were already a Captain in Anbu, he'd be Captain and then his his title". I grin down at the little blonde, "Who knows? One day he actually could be your team Captain, or an Anbu Captain".

"Ha!" Ino rudely laughs out, "Yea right!"

"Ino," Inoichi scolds, "Do not underestimate anyone. No matter how weak they seem now. Understood?"

"But daddy! Naruto is the lowest of the low in our class! There's no way he'd get to be to the top!" Ino protests.

I see Inoichi's eyes shoot to my own apologetically as he looks down at the girl, "Young lady. I don't want to hear another word of scorn out of your mouth. Understood?"

"But daddy I-"

"No buts! Am I clear?"

"Yes sir...," the girl grumbles out.

Iruka clears his throat. "Ahem. Well...Anyways...Naruto. As the student to lead your partner into first place, your prize is your pride. Everyone will know of how you trapped them and surpassed them. You did very good. I'm proud of you". I can see the blue eyed boy is just eating this up. As he should. He deserves praise. "Now. Onto the second and final part of today's festivities. Sparring. If all of you will follow me to the sparring ring in the back, I'll explain what's going to happen". It takes us all of three minutes to get there, and soon enough Iruka is standing in the middle of a small- big to the kiddies, sparring ring. "Here we will have one on one matches for those who want to spar. The catch is, there must be one shinobi and one student in the ring during the spar. That means that shinobi cannot spar other shinobi here. And students cannot spar other students for this. Now. Are there any takers?"

"I want to spar Cross," Sasuke demands determinedly. "I'll beat her. Just you watch".

I grin, stepping into the ring after the boy, "Shall I put on a blind fold, Sasuke?"

Sasuke glares at me. You couldn't beat me like that even if you tried! I'm not like the other students! I'm Itachi's little brother! I'm an Uchiha!"

My eyes flash to Itachi, and I see disappointment. His eyes meet my own for a moment, and I raise a brow in questioning. He nods. What's that supposed to- Oh. Well alrighty Itachi. If you wanna see your little brother get beaten up, so be it. I nod myself. "You wanna bet, Uchiha punk?"

Saskuke's fists clench, "Yea! If I win...If I win...You have to admit that the Uchihas are the strongest shinobi here, and you have to be my and Itachi-nii's slave for a whole week!"

I raise a brow but chuckle, "Big stakes here it seems. Alright. I'll take your bet, and up you as well. If I win, you have to be nice to Naruto- no matter what he does- for two whole weeks. That includes helping him if he asks for it". I hear gasps and 'don't take it Sasuke-kun! She's an Anbu!'s from girls all around. I walk forward, "Do we have a deal?" I offer my hand in the form of a shake. He walks forward himself and stares at my taloned hand for a moment before soft, inexperienced, skin touches calloused and battle hardened skin.

"Deal," Sasuke tells me as we shake, "Get a blind fold".

I chuckle, and take my hands to the knot around my neck, seeing as as usual my hitai-ate is around my neck like a choker, "Not needed. I'll just use this". I take it, and purse my lips. This is where the hard part happens. "Anyone care to tie this for me?" I could always sheathe my claws- it's possible, they shorten to the point where their points don't even pass the end of my fingers- but I never like to do so; it doesn't feel right. So, why not have someone tie it for me?

Itachi sighs as no one moves forward for a second, "I will help you," he tells me. He takes the cloth in each of his hands and comes behind me. I hold the protector securely to my eyes as he tightens until he figures it's good. "Put him in his place, but don't maim him," Itachi whispers into my ear as he ties. I nod silently to show him I understand. He then is so kind to lead me to the center of the ring, though it's not like I needed him to.

"Ready?" Iruka questions from the middle of Sasuke and I and a bit to the side. I nod, and I assume Sasuke did the same. "Haijime!"

I stand in my position, still as a tree as I hear Sasuke rush me. I smirk, and bring up my claws to push stray hairs that fell out of my braid, showing tapered ears. I lick my lips and grin widely. This is gonna be too easy. I hear his hand reach out to punch me, only for me to side step and sing song, "Missed me. Missed me. Now you gotta kiss me!~" I dance away from his kick that came with the third sing sang sentence. I lean down and tap my lips with a single claw, "Where's my kiss? I'm waiting~".

I hear him growl, "Kiss my foot!" I can hear his heel leaving the ground and swinging around me so that it can drop down on the top of my head.

However, my right hand catches this left foot, and closes around it. I push him back, making him hop backwards, and then pull him towards me. My other hand comes forward, and I point a pointer talon at where I know his throat to be, "Dead," I tell him. I know for a fact that that claw is inches away from his throat.

"Not yet!" He snarls at me, and uses my hand holding his foot to swing his other foot at my head. I feel his hands touch the ground to keep his balance, and I release his left foot. I back off, and once on two feet again he comes at me with all sorts of combos.

"I see you don't understand the concept of 'dead' in a game like this," I sigh, dancing around his combos. Are we waltzing or something?...Na, feels more like a tango. Therefore, as he kicks at me again, my hand lashes out again and pushes his foot passed my torso and causes him to pant his foot. He's no longer facing me, his breath is close but not close enough for him to be facing me. Therefore, I step forward and lean down. Over his chest I place my right hand. My pinky talon over his stomach, my thumb talon over his liver. My ring talon over his left lung, my middle talon over his heart, and my pointer talon over his right lung. My other hand is holding his jaw. His jaw is small enough that the positioning of my fingers for this common- for me- pin down are curled so that the tips of the claws are actually pointed at the eyes and right ear. My last two fingers are resting on his throat. My tail has weaved its way between us, and now threatens to sever his spine. I can feel his heart thrumming against my right ring and middle fingers, and all the heat has flushed from his body. I speak down into his ear, "You are now dead not one time over, but in total ten times over. Two eyes, two lungs, your ear which leads to your brain, your spine, your stomach, your liver, your throat and finally your heart. Do you understand just how much out of your league I am? Yield".

Sasuke stands there, stock still, for a moment or two before two words stutter from his mouth, "I-I y-yield". And with that, I let him go and back off.

"Cross is the winner!" Iruka shouts out. "Now if you will, make the recollection seal".

"Eh?" I question. I was home schooled so to speak. There was nothing like that.

Iruka looks to me and sweat drops, "Oh right. You...Learned differently," all he knows is that I'm not native to the village, nothing more nor less. "Take your right pointer finger and middle finger and lock them with Sasuke's. Kind of like a handshake but just with your fingers. It's to show that although the fight is over, and there may be some soreness, you both are still allies of the same village".

"Oh," I shrug out before offering my fingers as mentioned. Sasuke hesitates, looking at the claws that threatened to take his life. "They scare you, don't they?" My golden orbs meet his black ones. "Here," I offer with a smile. With a single mental demand, the claws regress into my hand and wrist, moving on their own and making the skin over where they come out of shutter and shiver ans squirm. It takes only seconds for the claws to be short now, their tips not even passing the skin of the points of my fingers. I again offer my fingers as mentioned. This time, he doesn't hesitate, and we shake. I grin to him, and watch as seconds later my claws are back to normal.

"Why did you bring them out again?" Sasuke asks.

"I'm used to having them out. When they're sheathed, my hand feels too light for my likings," I answer. "On another note, you lost the bet. And we made a deal. You have to be nice to Naruto for two whole weeks. Got it?" Sasuke glares in Naruto's direction warily, but nods, sucking up like a good boy. "Good". I nod myself. My eyes now turn to Naruto, who I know is childishly scheming, "A good Captain doesn't plot revenge; it gets them nothing. Nor does a proper Hokage. You mind yourself for two weeks when it comes to Sasuke. Got it?"

"B-But Cross-chan!" Naruto whines, "This is my chance!"

I look down at him sternly, "No, Naruto. You behave yourself. If I hear from either Itachi or Sasuke himself that you didn't listen to me, I'm coming here and we're gonna have a little talk. Got it?" I watch as he gulps. "Got it?" I press again. I get a nod, and nod myself. "Good. Now go back to class. I heard that Iruka says that the fun is over and that it's time to crack down. Do your best kiddo! Do me proud!" The two last things I tell him as he makes his way back to the building.

This leaves me alone with Itachi, who is silent for a moment before speaking up, "You'd make a good mother".

My eyes widen and I blanch, as well as face plant from the sudden statement. I glare down at Itachi as I get up and brush myself off. I growl, pointing a black talon his way, "Shut it. Naruto's the only kid I actually like. All the others I just deal with".

"Even Sasuke?" Itachi questions.

"Even Sasuke," I grunt out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Happy Birthday!**

The whole fiasco at the Academy took up a lot more time than I expected it to, and therefore I decide to head on home with hands empty and a memory of fun with the boy that Kakashi and I often protect from harm. When I mentioned that I was going home to Itachi, he asked to come along. He has 'something to ask Kakashi; Anbu Captain related' according to him. So, here I am, walking next to the village's youngest hearth throb of his generation.

"If this place is a mess compared to your place, forgive me. I haven't been able to vacuum in a while so it may be a bit dirty," I tell him as any good hostess should.

Itachi offers me a shrug, "I'm sure your home is fine".

This he says I place a hand onto the door knob to Kakashi's and my home. With a turn of the knob and a push of the door, it opens and I find a dark room. Everything is silent. But not 'empty home' silent. Instead it's 'someone(s) is waiting for you to walk in unknowingly' silent. My eyes scan the pitch black, and I see nothing but my home. However, I know false calmness when I know one. I place my hands into a handsign. Just as I'm about to release the genjutsu, Itachi steps in front of me and flips on the light switch next to the door and then steps back. As soon as the light comes on, there's a burst of people. Not only that, but the genjutsu is released.

"SURPRISE!"

I yelp and stumble back from the literal surprise before me, though Itachi keeps me from backing up and over the railing behind us. "What the hell?!" Over my yelp is...

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

I feel a hand on my shoulder pushing me forward, and I numbly walk with Itachi's push. I look around. For the most part, the living room and the kitchen are the same. The only difference is that there's food on the counter as well as what looks like a bunch of different types of teas. On the kitchen table are boxes wrapped in bright paper. From the ceiling hangs a banner that says, 'Happy Birthday Cross' each letter looking to be torn from paper by claws. I look around at each of the people here. In the whole apartment are people I know. Kurenai- whom is holding her hands in a 'release' position so she must have set up and released the genjutsu-, Asuma, Guy, Yugao, Iruka- how'd he get here so fast?- the Tsu triplets, and now Itachi. "What's going on here?!" I demand.

From behind the crowd and walking through them is Kakashi, hands in his pockets. He, along with everyone else in the room, lacks a hitai-ate, showing me that they're completely off duty right now. Each and every one of them. I look over, and find that Itachi's went missing as well. "This," Kakashi speaks up with a single lazy eye meeting my confused ones, "Is what's called a surprise party. Normally we'd do it at a bar on your eighteenth birthday, which is when you're finally old enough to drink, but we figured we'd do one for your seventeenth instead. We got Iruka to set something up, and he also used that as a chance for the kids to have fun with their shinobi family members as well which as you can see Hokage-sama agreed to. I would have done it myself but, but since I don't have anything close to a sibling- well there was Naruto, but then you'd have no one-, I couldn't distract you. That became Itachi's job". He smiles under his mask, "You like?"

I blink, silent for a moment or two. My golden eyes wash over everyone twice before I speak, "Do I like it...?" Suddenly I grin, and rush Kakashi's eighteen year old, five foot nine frame, "This is amazing Kakashi!" I hug him as much as I can, arms around his neck, legs around his hips, tail around his torso, and wings enveloping him as well. I don't think he was expecting the tackle hug, because he stumbles and falls onto his back, my wings institutionally moving out of the way only enough to not get hurt. I continue to hug him for a moment more before releasing his neck and propping either hand on either side of his head. "Thank you, Kakashi," I don't think I could smile any wider, "I'm so happy right now, I could kiss you!" He's silent for a moment, and I'm not sure what that look in his eye is, but it leaves as soon as it comes.

"It's not a problem, Cross," he tells me with an eye smile, "What are friends for? Besides, I think you owe Itachi a thank you too. He's the one who stepped forward first to make sure Iruka's plan went as needed".

I sit up, and then get up off of Kakashi, offering him a clawed hand to help him up. He gladly takes it. "Huh?"

Churitsu speaks up now, standing in between his brothers and using them both as arm rests. "Nikun was gonna hinge himself into a kid version of himself and I was gonna play the 'shinobi sibling' part while Saiai made sure the plan went well. But Itachi pointed out that you'd see right through Nikun and I, and then you'd find Saiai, and the jig would be up. And that he had a real little brother, who you knew, in Iruka's class. So it would all work out if he did it. Lo and behold, it did". When not in Anbu gear, Saiai wears a black muscle shirt, Churitsu a gray one, and Nikun a white one. Each of them wear long black pants with shinobi sandals. Over their muscle shirts are haoris, all three of them white with serrated outer edges on the sleeves and bottom hem. On the back, as I've seen them dressed like this before, would be the kanji for 'pain' and a large blood covered nodachi emblazened on the back. For each one of them, a dragon of a different color is wrapped around this nodachi, its front feet holding onto the handle and wings spread to take off. Saiai's dragon's head pops out on the right side of the sword, its scales black and its eyes matching to Saiai's- light blue like ice. The dragon on Churitsu's back allows its head to peak over the butt of the hilt, its scales a perfect mix of black and white and therefore gray, its eyes are a heterochromic blue and green like Churitsu's. The dragon on Nikun's back lets its head pop out on the right side of the hilt, its scales white and eyes a light green.

"Before you do anything," Kakashi states as his hands slip behind my neck and untie the hitai-ate from it, "You won't be needing this in the slightest tonight. Now. Say 'thank you' to Itachi".

I turn around and find Itachi standing there, trying to be casual but slightly failing. Even though he's young, he's not that much smaller than myself nor Kakashi. A few inches that he'll get when he's older. I grin, and rush him, then promptly tackle him like I did Kakashi. "Thank youuuuuuu! I could kiss you too, I'm so happy!" His eyes flash the same thing that Kakashi's single one did when I said that, but even faster than Kakashi the look disappears.

"It...Was nothing," Itachi awkwardly pats my back, not completely sure what to do other than that. Again my wings furl, and I get up, helping him up like I did with Kakashi.

"So uhhh...Now what?" I question to the lot of them. Those of us who are Anbu look around slightly confused. It seems that they don't really know exactly what to do either.

"First! Presents! All the food is finger food so we can just grab a plate and some of whatever we want and eat while the beautiful birthday girl opens her gifts!" Guy throws his hands in the air in exclamation. And when his attention comes to me, he gives me he usual good guy pose".

"Good idea Guy," Kurenai praises, "Yugao, will you help me with her gifts?"

"Sure Kurenai," my fellow Anbu woman nods out, and they do as they plan. "Cross, go sit on the couch and relax. Senpai, Itachi, since you two did most of the work- planning and distracting respectively, you relax with her after you've grabbed something to eat". The boys stare at her for a moment and, realizing she won't take 'no' for an answer, nod to her silently as one.

I decide that now is a perfect time to sit down and relax. I sheathe my claws, figuring that if no one is wearing their hitai-ates, I might as relax completely as well. Just like at the school, my skin shivers and moves as the claws retract until they're only as long as my fingers. My tail unwraps from waist and relaxes, laying contently next to my right leg and the tip tapping against the floor to show that I'm quite happy right now.

"You want anything to eat birthday girl?" I hear Asuma call out from the counters.

"What do we have?" I question.

"Gyoza, onigiri, curry rice, shashimi, sushi, yakizakana...," Asuma lists off, "That's basically it".

"I'll take some onigiri and some jasmine tea if it's over there," I tell him with a thanking smile.

The unlit cancer stick between his lips bobs as he gives out a, "Coming right up girlie". I see him quickly pull out a lighter and light his cancer stick. Heh. There it is. I knew he wouldn't even stop smoking for my birthday. Not that I mind; each to his own. It takes little to no time for him to set the stuff down and I give a 'thank you' before he nods and finds his own spot next to Kuranai and Guy.

It's not long until I find myself eating away with presents in front of me on the table while I eat with my plate in my lap. On my right is Kakashi, while on my left is Itachi. For the most part, we're stuffing our faces. However, Kurenai did at one point ask how my time at the Academy went. I told her of how I met a lot of older and more experienced shinobi among our ranks, and I got to see just how much they're like their children- or rather their children are like them. The race with Naruto was my favorite part, as I got to kind of see how the boy's mind worked. "It really works with stealth and efficiency, just like a fox. And I don't think that's the Kyubbi's influence on him at all- I don't see any of that in the slightest," I tell them at one point. "His traps were simple but my god did they work! No wonder the Anbu fall for them. He leads them right into them and every time they underestimate his abilities. He's make a perfect Anbu; he has the potential I think".

Iruka looks up from his food, "You think that highly of him?"

I meet his brown eyes. He's the only one out of us who is neutral towards the boy, "After what you've seen today. You can't say the potential isn't there at all. It's there; you just have to help him find it and then find a way to help him use it to his advantage". I see a look of understanding enter his eyes, and can't help but to smile a bit.

It's not long until I and the others are finished our meals, and I've drank three cups of jasmine tea when the only two women of the group decide it's time to open presents...Wait...Two woman guests as opposed to eight guys...? I need more female friends. "Who's should I open first?" I question the lot of them.

"Ladies first," Kurenai states.

"Me first; I knew you longer," Yugao states afterwords, sending Kurenai a playful glance. Well she did. She also taught me how to dress myself and what the hell my period was. That was an interesting day to say the least. She slides a box my way, it being relatively large and wrapped in colorful paper like the rest of them.

"She's got you there, Kurenai," I tell her playfully. I take the box and place it on my lap, my eyes widening when it's rather heavy. "What's this?" I question, honestly curious. What could be that heavy? Quickly the wrapping comes off, and I'm met by a wooden box of dark cherry. I look at it with wide and curious eyes as the lid has my name on it, and under my name is an upside down cross which makes me smile. I undo the metal clasps that slide into open position smoothly, and when the lid is flipped open I can't help but let out a loud gasp and feel my eyes widen and my jaw drop. In this box, under layer of protective layer, are a type of shuriken that are very rare, and even harder to make. "O...," I try.

"Cross?" Kakashi pushes, "O...?"

"Obs...Obsidian shuriken...! HOLY SHIT!" I leap to my feet, jaw still hanging, "You...Y-you got me...Obsidian shuriken...How...?" My eyes fall onto my fellow Anbu member, "How did you manage to get your hands on these?! There's only four sets in the world!" Being a shuriken only user, I know my throwing stars well.

Yugao beams to me, lighting up her pretty face. "First, I want you to put them where they belong," she tells me. "There's special holsters in there as well I believe. I won't tell you how I got them until you put them as I said". I don't waste any time, pulling my pouches from my right and left hips and placing them on the floor at my feet. Indeed there are special pouches, both black in color and at least four times thicker in make than normal pouches. I'm careful with each of the shuriken, gently pouring them from their spots into the pouches until both are filled properly. Then my eyes fall upon Yugao again, waiting for an answer. "My family are the ones who made those four sets. We sold off three to our most trusted friends' families and kept one for a long time. I can't have kids...And the closest thing I have to a sister is you so...I wanted you to have them. As you should know, each one has seals carefully carved into them for them to return to the holster after sitting for too long. You'll never run out".

My jaw is dropped even farther and next thing I know, "I...Thank you, Yugao," I bow to her low, "I will cherish them always".

"Okay woman," Kurenai speaks up, "My present's turn. Here you go," she smiles lightly, vibrant red eyes bright.

The box I open up is simply one with new heeled sandals, however they're special. How could something so simple be so amazing? Simple. The heels are kunai blades, as sharp as the day they were made and a seal carved into the side where if one channels chakra into the seal, the kunai's tip is resharpened. And even then, it takes a while for these babies to dull, already having a seal on their other side to make the whole heal durable. "These are magnificent, Kurenai," I tell her, "I'm wearing these every day". There's a white pair as well, white metal included. I look at her with a raised brow, but she just smiles knowingly.

"Us next!" The oldest and youngest of the Tsu brothers shout out as one, giving me identical grins as they push their box towards us. "It's something combined between the two of us!~"

I nod and tear off the wrapping like last time. The box isn't nearly as big as fancy as the shuriken one was, being simply card board and on the decent size. When I open it up, I can't help but blush. Where did they get my measurements from? I look to them with wide eyes and they wink playfully mouthing 'we guessed'. Dear god. The outfit itself isn't very different from what I have on now. Thin strapped corset top that hugs my torso and has an open back as to allow my wings free roam. The only difference is the fact that the top towards my breasts. The cut is lower than normal, but not to the point where there's no point in wearing a shirt. And even though the cut is a bit lower than normal, it's laced up giving my cleavage at least a little decency but keeping the rest of my chest bare. Towards my stomach it opens up, showing my belly button and some of my toned stomach. The pants are laced up on the outside until just a bit before where I know my panty line starts. I run my hands over the fabric lightly, "What's this made of? It's nice and flexible like normal clothing but it feels...".

"Harder?" Saiai tries.

"More durable?" Nikun takes a shot.

"Yes," I simply answer.

"Easy! It's made out of dragon scales," they answer. I blanch. Dragon scales, "Our family is contracted with the dragon summons, and we're said to come from the first dragon and their human lover from way, a ways back. Why do you think our family symbol is a dragon around a nodachi?" Shit. I never thought about that.

"Thanks you two," I look down at the box, finding a white version as well, and look back up to them.

"White looks good on you too; you have that kind of complexion," Nikun explains.

Saiai points to the hall that leads to the bathroom and bed rooms, "Go try one of them on".

"Right now?" I blanch.

"Won't take long," Nikun assures with a wave.

I sigh, before standing and making my way to my room, my strides a bit hurried and embarrassed due to the fact that I'm changing into this. It doesn't help that they had guessed perfectly on what my sizes were. Perverts. Still, putting on the dragon scale clothing was easy as putting on normal clothing, if not a bit easier in some way I can't think of right now. Still, I look at myself in my mirror and can't help to admire myself. And I thought leather hugged my frame. Damn I look good. I turn and walk out of my room and head back to where the party goers are, hearing cat calls and wolf whistles from the two gift givers. I merely send them an eye roll but thank them all the same. Damn this stuff is comfy!

"I guess I'll give you my gift, then" Churitsu sighs out, sliding forward a small rectangular box. When I open it, it it's two things that I can only compare to whetstones. Both are a gray color, however one has the kanji for claws, and the other for blade. "As you might have guessed, they're whetstones. I figure your claws are like any other blade, and they should be sharpened some how every now and then. That's what the one with the kanji for claws is for. The one with the kanji for blade is for the shuriken Yugao gave you".

I grin, picking up the stones and giving them a nice once over. "These are damn awesome too. Thank you, Churitsu". I meet his mix matched gaze, and earn myself a nod.

Asuma holds up his box with a casual gesture, the cigarette bobbing on his lips as he talks as usual, "Wanna give mine a go? It's not something made out of dragon scales, obsidian or kunais, but I figure that you could go for this".

I give him a playful fang filled grin, "I'm sure it's fine," I unwrap the long box and take off the top to see a scroll. With the handsign for dragon on it. With a curious tilt of my head and a curious tone coming from my throat, I open it up a little bit. Only for my eyes to widen in surprise. "This is...".

"A scroll compiled with all the wind jutsu I know? You got it, kiddo," Asuma leans back on his hands, a smile on his lips. "You're a rare one like me, with a wind affinity. And yet you've got yourself a fire affinity that I know you've trained to be just as strong as your primary one. Those babies will help to make you one hell of an opponent". I grin in thanks, and he gives me a salute in return.

"Yosh!" Guy beams to me, tossing me a long box that, while shorter than Asuma's, is still on the long side. "Go ahead and give my youthful box a look see Cross-chan! I'm sure it's one of the best ones out there!"

I can't help but chuckle. Not only at the bland look on Itachi's face from Guy's enthusiasm, but also simply because Guy is so enthusiastic. He's such a weird and lovable fellow. "Alright Guy, what do we got here?" I open the box to find a shorter scroll than Asuma's with the kanji for 'gravity' on it. I tilt my head, and open a bit before beginning to read. After a moment or two I can't help but wear as wide a grin as Guy's wearing. "Okay, this is pretty damn awesome".

"What is it a scroll of?" Itachi questions from my side. Damn, that's the first thing I've heard in like an hour.

"Gravity seals," I answer him simply. "It's a scroll on how to make and adjust gravity seals so that you can either get stronger or faster. This is awesome Guy. Thank you!" Apparently they're done with ink, and infused with chakra so that they burn into the skin. However, after they're put there, they disappear after a day. With a one handed ram seal, you increase the amount of gravity that pulls on your body. Once you can no longer train with the seals- being unable to becomes stronger or faster- you can either take them off, or you can adjust them to have levels of release so that you can hold back without trying to. I look to Guy and can't help but chuckle. He's giving me his usual 'good guy' pose.

One of the last three to give me a present is Iruka, who gives me a nice smile and hands over a simple wrapped bottle. Like everything else, I rid myself of the wrappings, only to read the label of the bottle itself. I can't help but grin at what it says, "Piano string cleaner". But then I blanch, "How the hell did you know?"

"You play the piano, Cross?" Kakashi questions with a curious look in his eye.

"Yes, she does," Itachi answers simply.

Iruka finally gets to be the one to answer, seeing as I just wanted him to talk in the first place, "I passed you in your training ground about a year ago. I don't know how good you are now, but back then you were pretty good. Going so far as to turn the piano into not only something to store in a scroll normally used for shinobi tools, but turning the piano into a shinobi tool itself. Using the vibrations of the strings as a place to channel your chakra and- depending on how violent the song- using it to cause mass destruction. It only worked if you played, and it takes some time to put together; nothing useful in a fight but I still liked it".

Asuma grins from behind his drag of cigarette, "The birthday girl should take us to this hidden training ground of hers and play for us later".

I blink dumbly, "No I shouldn't".

"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to," Iruka offers, on my side.

I feel a pair of eyes one me, "She's a remarkable pianist; she should play for us," Itachi offers. Since when are you one to go with what the crowd does damn it!?"

"A youthful song from an equally youthful birthday woman! It would be splendid indeed!" Guy grins to me, as happy as ever. I face palm, Guy...You're not helping either.

"I bet she's too embarrassed to show us how much she sucks. Don't cha think, Churitsu? Nikun?" Saiai sneers at me with crossed arms. "Beautiful women can't make beautiful music too after all". Rude!

"Heh, or maybe it's so beautiful, she's to selfish and self absorbed to let us listen," Nikun throws out as well. Of course there'd be an identical grin on his face. "Beautiful women can make beautiful music as well, but their personality isn't always beautiful enough for them to want to share. Looks like she's one of those women who won't share with us lowly people". Nikun looks to his older brother, "What do you think Churitsu?"

Please Churitsu. Don't pull a rare moment and play along with your brothers' antics! Stand by my side like you normally do! This is the kind of pleading look I send the heterochromic eyed male. His face is straight and pondering for a moment. For a second, I think he's gonna be the usual neutral good guy. However, slowly, his face turns upwards to mimic his brothers', "Perhaps she is a little bit of both, gentlemen," he tells them. "Perhaps, being a beautiful woman, she has just a decent ability to make decent music, but she hears it as wonderful and doesn't want to share".

Kurenai scoffs, "Please. Stop being such jerks! If she doesn't want to play, then stop pushing her buttons in an attempt to make her play". Her red orbs meet my golden ones, "I'd love to hear you play sometime. But on your own terms". She seems to have extra harsh eyes for Asuma for whatever reason.

"You guys are jerks," Yugao huffs out, "Not only that, you're children. Peer pressuring your superior," her gaze turns to the Jonin of the group, "Or your equal," her eyes now move to the Tsu brothers, "Into getting what you want. That's just sad".

I sigh and hold up my hands, signaling for the bantering to stop, "Guys...! I'll think about it, okay?" My smile turns to Iruka, "Thank you Iruka, this is awesome; the wires were starting to get worn anyways".

"Here's my present, Cross".

"Cross, please open my gift next".

These two phases I hear at once, and I look to see two different hands in front of me. I raise a brow at the boxes of similar size, however Itachi's is a bit smaller. I look to my right and left, seeing slight animosity between the two, that goes away as soon as I look at them. The hell? "How about I open them at once? I do have two hands you know. And they're not so large as to both need two hands to open". I don't take no for an answer, and get to work, ridding myself of wrapping paper and finding two boxes. I make sure to time taking off the lids perfectly, letting them clatter to the floor. My eyes widen. "A necklace from both of you? Are you in each others' heads?" I tease lightly. I lift them both out of their boxes to take a look at them. Kakashi's is on a silver chain, and so is Itachi's. However, the ornanment on Kakashi's is of bent metal to create the kanji for 'freedom' the metal itself a beautiful blue like I've never seen before. Itachi's is also on a silver chain, but it's longer- if only by a little- and the ornament is of bent metal. However it is all gold, like my eyes; a falcon flying in front of a moon, its wings spread regally. "Both of these are beautiful gentlemen. Thank you. Would you guys mind helping me put them on?" I hand Itachi his gift and Kakashi his own, and then lift up my braided hair out of the way. What I don't expect is for them to act at the same time and move to put the necklace on me at the same time as well. I can feel their arms crossing over one another's without an issue, and soon enough the necklaces hang off my person. Itachi's falcon is lower than Kakashi's kanji, but only so much that it allows room for the latter to hang right above the former. I like it. I smile before putting my arms around their necks and hugging them close to me, "They're both beautiful, gentlemen, thank you".

"Hey, you three," we hear Asuma call out, only for a flash to occur. I blink as spots dance in my eyes. "That was adorable," he teases.

"So...Are we gonna hear you play a song for us or not? Iruka didn't get you piano string cleaner for nothin' you know," Saiai speaks up from his spot.

Nikun grins, "Or we could just continue to tease you".

Churitsu rolls his eyes, "Not tease, Nikun, persuade".

I can't help but laugh. And not that short chuckle or giggle or anything like that. No, this is laughter as pure as I've heard a child's laughter to be. I feel as though my heart is literally lifting from where it is, and soaring into the sky as free as a bird. I'm so damn happy, I could almost cry. Almost. However, because I'm in such a good mood, I release the men and then stand, "Alright. I'll show you where I play and I'll play a song or two for you". It'll feel odd doing it without my claws unsheathed but...Hopefully that'll give me more endurance. I walk over to the door, heeled sandals in hand which are then put on. They're a little bit higher than my old ones, but nothing I can't get used to. However this is also as high as I'll ever go. They're not uncomfortable, as all heeled sandals are meant to be comfortable in any condition, just different. When the others are all set to go, I lead the way out of the apartment and place a foot on the railing, "Catch me if you can!" I take off, pushing off of the railing and letting my wings carry me as my tail wraps around my waist as is should. I fly over the street, going over and over various things when I need to, and find no one following me. However when I look to my left and right, I find Kakashi and Itachi respectively. I look below me, and find Guy also easily keeping up with the three of us. But that's not really surprising. He's a speed demon after all. As usual, it doesn't take us long to get to where we're going, and I land in the middle of the clearing. From seemingly no where, I pull out a scroll, and bite my thumb, letting a fang make it bleed. The blood is smeared onto the open scroll and out comes a black baby grand piano, its surface sleek and smooth as it should be. I sit on the bench and rest my fingers on the keys like any normal person would be able to. It's an odd feeling, but I like it. I look to the men and women that gather to the side a bit, "I'll play a couple songs, okay?" I waste no time in moving on, and my fingers begin to move along on the keys, "This first one," I tell them, "I learned by ear. It's called 'Hokori ni Kakete'. I can only play the piano part but...I can hear the rest in my head". The song is something of a love song, but it's still pretty and that's all that matters to me. I count the tempo in my head, determined not to go too fast or too slow as I tend to do when I'm trying too hard. Moving my fingers is definitely much easier now that my talons aren't in the way, even if my fingers do feel too light. I pause and let the final note ring in the air. The next song, Kanda no Omoi, like everything else, is something I've managed to learn by ear. It's a sad song, about a person whom is doomed to be alone for the rest of their life. They travel, helping all that they can, however they refuse to let themselves open up to anyone really. Why? Because they don't want that person getting hurt. The person doesn't really regret this choice, until finally they do meet someone. Someone welcoming and understanding to the person's way of life. This stranger refuses to leave the person's side, even though the person insists that if the stranger stays, they will get hurt. As time goes on and the person and stranger stay together, and they grow closer. And soon, the person finds happiness, and they regret their long times of loneliness. But...Now they have the stranger, who's not a stranger any more, but their lover. I stop, and let out a sigh, opening my eyes as at some point I closed them. "How was that?"

"Bwaaaaaaahhhh!" Guy tears up, putting an arm to his eyes as he bawls into it. At his side Kurenai awkwardly pats his back with an 'oh geeze' look on her face. "That was utterly beautiful! The essence of youth!" He offers me a thumbs up with his free hand, still bawling into his arm.

Asuma decides to give his critique as well, though when I see it I can't help but laugh a little bit. His jaw is open and the cigarette is long since put out in the grass. "Cross...You can actually play".

"Uhh...yea? Did you think I just kinda ran my fingers along the keys?" I feel kind of insulted. Did he think I'd be bad or something? If he wants to hear bad, give me a violin.

He shakes his head, hands waving, seeming to understand my tone of voice, "No, I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was that was really good! How the hell are you so good when you're normally on missions or something?"

"Oh," I blanch. That's what he meant. "Well uhh...It comes pretty naturally to me like fighting does I guess". Maybe I used to play before Orochimaru got to me? I never thought about it really. "It still took me like three years though".

"And you can turn the music into a weapon you said?" Yugao questions, stepping forward to look into the piano and at the strings that need attention. "How?"

Iruka decides to answer that, seeming to have some knowledge on it, "I did some research on it when I saw her do it. I thought it was a genjutsu at first but...It's not. Most people use flutes, when they learn this skill. But since she has a massive amount of chakra, she can use the piano. It's not...Meant for battle though. Maybe if she had team mates to protect her if she were going to set things up, but other than that, no. Anyways, her chakra is threaded through her fingers, and with each note she hits, a string in the piano is tapped thus making sound. The chakra that's fueled through her fingers travel through the key, to the tapped string, and infuses with the sound that is made. With the right timing, the sound can be turned into a blade by pouring more chakra into the music. Or, and this probably would take even more chakra, a barrier could be made. All through making sound".

Yugao and the rest of us listen closely to the knowledgeable Chunin. Okay, I didn't know I could make barriers with the right amount of chakra. That's pretty damn awesome. "That's utterly amazing. Can it heal?"

Iruka purses his lips, "In theory, I would think so. However, not on a whim. Healing chakra is different from fighting chakra as you know...So...she'd have to learn to use medical chakra first, and then see if it would work the same way as normal chakra when it comes to the piano".

I raise a brow, "Damn you're smart. Why are you a Chunin again?"

Iruka laughs lightly and rubs the back of his head, "I'm afraid I'd simply rather teach the children. Plus I'm just smart to be honest; I'm not really strong enough to be a Jonin". Well damn, that's a shame.

It is after this that there's silence. I look to those I can see in my direct line of vision. However, what I don't expect is for the Tsu brothers to walk up to me with straight faces and completely serious eyes. Did I do something wrong? As one they stand before me, looking down at me with their blue, blue and green or green eyes respectively. As one they kneel, each of their hands holding a random bouquet of roses of the same color. "Marry me!" They propose, the look their eyes completely serious.

My face becomes bright and I slide back a bit on the bench. "E-eh?" Marry them? What? Why? I'm only seventeen damn it! And they're only nineteen! How am I supposed to marry all three of them? They're just friends! Allies!

"Marry us. We love you and your beauty, your music and your power," Saiai states, blue eyes looking up at me yearningly.

Churitsu takes his turn, just as serious as his brother, "A beautiful woman must have the balance of power and soul. You obviously have a perfect balance of both. We don't mind sharing with one another; we've already talked about it by the moment that first song was half way through".

"It's said that only music can tame a Tsu's soul, being that we have the long line of ancient dragon- beast- in us. When a Tsu finds a woman who is not only beautiful, but strong and can make music that calls to the beast within us, it's said that that woman is the one the Tsu is destined to marry. We didn't think you would be the one. However, your music has called out to all three of us," Nikun speaks up.

"So let me get this straight. Being a clan that originated from the mating of a human and a dragon, and therefore having dragon blood- quite diluted by now but apparently still very much alive some how- you go by the ways you mentioned?" That didn't even make sense coming out of my mouth. And I'm an experiment based off of a mythological creature.

"Exactly". The three state at once.

I sigh and bluntly say, "I'm not marrying you. I'm only seventeen, you three are only nineteen. We four have all of our lives to go before getting married. Plus we're just friends, allies. I don't like you that way".

"We figured you'd say that," Saiai states, placing his roses on the piano, "So we also decided that we'll win you over. You'll come to us, even if we have to win you from whatever boyfriend you decide to have".

"...Can I continue playing please?" I change the subject. This is really weird.

"Of course," Churitsu gives me a smile that I had never seen before. One that shows tenderness and adoration. His brother's follow in suit, lighting up their handsome faces. "Continue to call out to our hearts. You'll only make us want you more". He backs off, placing his roses with Saiai's.

"Besides," Nikun copies his brothers, "You don't need to ask; it's your birthday. Play to your heart's content".

They turn and go back to the others, who are silent. They seem just as confused and slightly weirded out as I am. My eyes fall to my two closer friends, one two years older than me, and the other three- well, now four but that's only temporary- years younger than myself. There's blank looks on their faces. Their shoulders slack and their eyes emotionless. Why? I don't know...I should play a brighter song this time. And so I decide to play The Last Leaf Falls. Sounds like it'd be a sad story, but it's actually quite up beat. Telling the story of a leaf and how it went from a bud and nothing more to being an actual leaf. Of how every now and then it'd blow in the wind with its brothers and sisters. Even during autumn it was happy, blowing in the wind in its old age. And then finally, when it decided that it was time to go, it did let go, breaking from its branch and drifting in the wind that blew it away in the first place. It's not sad, because now it gets to see its brothers and sisters that had gone before it. Such is the simple life of a leaf. Bud, grow, die, just like everything else in the world. However, it has no regrets. "Alright everyone. I'm gonna play one more song and then call it quits," I tell them, "It's getting late, and we'll probably have missions tomorrow- Iruka you have school". With the darkness of the day's end coming over us, I decide to play one last song as I said I would. Something I've only learned recently. But I think I have it down for the most part. It's called 'Lift the Atmosphere'. It's one of the songs I know how to play that actually has a voice needed to make it whole. As a result, I open my jaw and let out the notes needed. I'm not the best singer in the world, but I can sing. By the time I'm done, my fingers are tired. I stand, letting the piano and stool return to the scroll, and look to the others, who clap. It's after that, we call it a night. We say our goodbyes there, me saying thank you to each one of them; both for coming, throwing the party and the gifts. It's kind of hard to get the Tsu brothers off of me, seeing as all three of them decide to hug me goodbye and hold me longer than is needed. But with the help of the other men, they're torn off and everyone can actually head home.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Time Flies When You're- A Team?!**

I sigh as I sit in the traditional tea house, knees tucked under my frame as I sit across from the dark haired man before me. "Why did you call me here?" I question him before taking a sip of my jasmine tea.

"I have a favor to ask of you," he tells me simply, eyes locking with my own steadily. He pauses, his hands settled in his lap and his own legs tucked under him as is called for in a place like this. Well, not called for, but tradition really. I raise a brow for him to answer as I finish my third cup of jasmine tea. I never get tired of this shit. "Watch over him," he finishes.

I blink a few times, honestly surprised by such a request. Especially by the man before me. "You want me to watch over him? Why?"

"I know Kakashi will be there, but he has three to keep an eye on protect; he cannot play favorites. You however, as I know, will be there for a different reason. You only have one- two if you agree to do this for me- to look over. And while you cannot play favorites either, I know that you are better at not doing so than he," the man answers before taking a sip of tea.

I sigh. "He'll know if something's up if he sees me paying even the slightest bit of more attention to him than the others," I tell him. "He's not stupid".

"He doesn't even remember you," the man answers. "You've been away training for so long, that they both forgot about you. While you have only been gone for five years up until now, it's all for naught. It's been five years? Damn. I hadn't noticed. Why? Because for whatever reason, I stopped aging at eighteen, the very age the man before me is. "I asked him. I asked him of what he remembers of the massacre. He merely told me he remembers fearing for his life, and then an angel saved him. That's what he told me after you left".

I sigh, "He doesn't remember me at all? Neither of them?" I get a shake of the head, "Damn. That hurts".

"That's what happens when you leave after something as big as that occurs," he tells me.

"Speaking of which, how are you? I'm sure you're not fully healed from the loss," I gently question.

The man sighs, closing his dark orbs for a moment or two, before they open with resolve, "Although people die every day, and it's natural for life to end...I still feel the pain. Having your family stolen from you in a single night is something very different from losing them over time whether it be through battle or old age".

I sigh myself, "You know I and the others are your family now, right? I know we don't replace anyone, but we're here for you. I'll watch over him along with my mission. For you, of course".

"Thank you Cross," he stands and I follow suit.

I smile as we walk out of the tea house, paying as we go, and stop as we stand on the street, "Itachi," I tell him, "You're family. I'll do anything for you; you know that". I step forward and pull him into a hug, lightly tip toeing due to the fact that the five years that I was gone he shot up like some sort of bean stalk. Then again, he's normal, he gets to age; he's now eighteen. His arms wrap around my waist and out of the way of my wings, holding me tight. I take this as silent thanks- even though he did so verbally. "I have to get going though. I promised Hokage-sama I was going to surprise the others and appear on the windowceil during the team assignment meeting". This I say as I pull the cloak that's been hanging over my arm, onto my person and make sure that my wings are fully concealed. My claws have been sheathed this whole time, a habit I've made of doing ever since the Uchiha Massacre.

I hear a chuckle behind me as I turn and jump to the roof tops. I sigh. I wish I could just fly over the roof tops, but that'd give me away if I go by my luck. It takes me about ten minutes to get there, and that's not until I'm a good bit away from the Hokage's office and yet I can still see everyone fine. Gathered around the old man's crystal ball are the ones that I only really am close to. None of them have really changed. Kakashi still holds himself in a lazy way but to the trained eye is of course alert. He wears the standard shinobi outfit for our home, as well as his mask. Asuma is still smoking his cancer sticks by the looks of things. He's gotten a bit tanner, and he grew out his beard, and his hair is shorter. But other than that he hasn't changed much. I see Kurenai is finally gonna be an instructor which is good for her. Her hair is a bit longer, and her body has completely filled out which makes her a gorgeous person, but other than that she hasn't changed. I don't see Guy, for whatever reason, though. Iruka I bet is still a teacher at the Academy. With the skills of a very skilled Anbu- which I am- I sneak my way to the tower, and then sneak my way to the window when I'm absolutely sure their eyes are on the orb.

"Kakashi, you have team seven. Try to actually pass them," I hear Sarutobi sigh to the silver haired man.

"I make no promises," Kakashi states, "If they figure it out on their own, then I will pass them. If they don't, then that's their own faults".

"Yes, well, just keep in mind that they are not you," he sighs out. "Now, with team assignments finished, I need to speak to you, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai. The rest of you are free to meet with your teams". He pauses for the others to leave, "Your three teams have the most potential, I think, to go on with their Shinobi careers. Asuma, you have the second generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho team, so please do your best to make sure that they understand that they are at their strongest when working as one. Them specifically. Kurenai, this is your first time being an instructor. I'm sure you'll do fine, however I will remind you that each student is different. Hinata is a gentle soul, who will need to come out of her shell if she is to survive. Kiba needs to work mainly on his fiery temper and impulsiveness; something he inherited from his mother, Tsume. Shino needs to learn how to trust his team mates, coming from a clan that is naturally wary of everyone despite the facade they put up. Kakashi, you have perhaps the hardest team to test and hopefully teach. Sakura is one of the many girls of this generation that seems to only care for boys. Try to pull her away from that path, lest she become a liability and will drag your team down. Sasuke-"

And this is where I take my cue. Swiftly I make my way to crouching in the windows, the hood of my cloak shadowing my face perfectly, and leaving just my lips visible. The sleeves cover my hands just as well, and hangs low as I crouch. "Has become a brat in is urge to get revenge on the man who stole his family from him, despite his older brother's protesting. While at the top of his class, he has the Uchiha arrogance that got many killed in the past, and yet he as yes to achieve his Sharingan. Just think what will happen when he gets it. He will believe himself to be God, challenge the wrong person, and get himself killed. Even worse, he'll get his team killed. Naruto is another brat, but a brat with no family and no one to truly teach him right and wrong- though that doesn't make him any better than Sasuke. He believes himself to be strong, unstoppable, despite his position as dead last in class ranking. He only passed due to a field qualification into becoming Genin which is rare in and of itself; a fluke. His lack of knowledge and arrogance will get the lot of you killed, as you are only one man, and it only takes two strong enemies to take down a fresh team of one Jonin and three weak Genin".

"You speak as though you've done extensive research on them, Stranger-san," Kakashi states, eye narrowed and body stiff. They're not even his underlings yet and still he comes to their defense. Well, most likely Naruto's. After all, Naruto is who he is.

Asuma, like Kakashi, is also stiff and ready for a fight. But most likely only because I came out of no where and started talking, cutting off Sarutobi meaning that I've been here for a while now. "You're quite the sneaky person Stranger-san. Is there something you need from us?"

Kurenai is the most actively ready one out of the three of them, face stone cold- a look I rarely saw in the past- and hands together in a single sign, them having already formed the other needed ones. All she needs to do is focus chakra and I know I'll be in a genjutsu. "You interrupted the wrong conversation with the wrong people, miss," she tells me, her voice deadly.

All is silent for a moment before I can't help but chuckle, and jump down from my perch before walking passed a silent Hokage. "None of you really wanna attack me. I can take two of you down with little trouble. The third of you would be some trouble, but I think I'd hold my own pretty well".

Kurenai sneers at me, "Is that a challenge?"

A fang pops over my lower lip as I smirk, "Only if you'll take that as one, Kurenai. It's been a while since we last sparred. You were a Chunin back then". I see from under the edge of my hood that her eyes are wide with surprise. "Funny, everyone here changed somehow and yet here I am, unchanged".

"Oh? You know us from the past?" Asuma questions smoothly, "How long ago might that have been?"

"Long enough," I tell him evasively, a chuckle coming from my lips. There's a chuckle from behind me, and I turn my back to my 'enemies' to see an amused Sarutobi. "I told you I've become quite the actress".

"That you have. Why don't you show your face before they decide that you are an actual threat and attack you? I don't want my office a mess," the old man suggests good naturedly.

I make a grand sweeping bow with my hand before turning and taking my cloak off with a flourish. The sight of widened eyes and nothing but surprise never gets old. Itachi figured out who I was as soon as I talked, but I could still see the surprise that I haven't aged even five years. "It's good to see you lot," I tell them casually. "And it's been a good long while. Five years if I've been told correctly".

It's Kakashi who speaks first, his single eye wide and I can tell that behind his mask his jaw is dropped. Something that doesn't happen often if at all. I've honestly surprised him. My life is complete, "...Cross". He seems frozen in place, "It's really you?"

"In the flesh," I smile to him a fangless smile. "Come now, don't tell me you couldn't figure it out before now. I haven't aged a single day you should recognize my voice".

Suddenly I feel a female body crash into my taller one, causing me to stumble a bit, "You didn't write or anything! You didn't say 'goodbye' to anyone but Itachi and Kakashi, and the only explanation you gave them was 'training'! And that was after the accident! I was so worried!"

I blink, wrapping first my arms and then my wings around her smaller five foot frame as compared to my five foot seven and a half frame, "I'm sorry Kurenai. It was necessary. I needed to get stronger and the only way I saw that happening is if I left for a little while. You understand, don't you?"

Red eyes meet gold and she glares at me. No tears. Huh. Good girl. "I understand, but that doesn't mean you can just up and leave!" She lets me go after words and clears her throat, "I'm happy you're back; welcome home". It's now that she offers me one of her smiles that tend to make even women blush a little bit.

I grin, not a single drop of heat entering my face, "I'm home," I tell her. I feel an arm slung around my shoulder and I look up to see Asuma being the one to give me this, "Welcome home girlie! Are you gonna be joining with Itachi and the Tsu brothers in the Anbu again?"

I playfully wrap my arms around his torso, returning the casual and slightly awkward hug, "Nope," I tell him, "I'm staying out of Anbu this time. Been there, done that, don't feel like going back to be honest".

Sarutobi speaks up again from this point on, "Technically, she is still an Anbu member," damn it, I was hoping this would officially take me out, "But this is only known by yourselves, her, and myself. To the public and anyone that asks, she is a former Anbu and now a Jonin like the three of you".

Asuma releases me, opting for standing next to Kurenai again as he raises a brow and questions, "Then what's she going to be doing as an under cover Anbu? Why does she need be known as a Jonin for whatever she's doing?"

"She will be helping Kakashi keep an eye on Naruto. Unknown to you three until now, she has a strong positive effect on Naruto when the Nine Tails is is influencing him- as I've seen during past attacks on him. There is something in her chakra that the fox likes, and therefore calms down if Naruto comes in contact with a burst of Cross' chakra. What it is, I'm unsure. But, seeing as Naruto will be in more and more life-or-death situations, and Kakashi can only do so much to protect Naruto- no matter how skilled of a shinobi he is- while in a fight. If Cross is there and things go wrong, and the fox decides to try and take control of his container, then she can step in and stop the process".

The lot of them stare at my beaming face blankly before I easily make my way to my long time silver haired friend. Both arms and wings wrap around him as I hug him tight, looking up at his face, "In other words, I'm gonna co-instruct if they pass. So...Try to pass them both for my sake and theirs as well".

Kakashi stares at me long and hard before he eye smiles at me, "I'll try. No promises". Ahh, there it is, the hug back I was looking for. I'm not gonna lie, I like the feeling of my body being pressed to his own. It feels nice. And that's not just because I haven't had physical human contact in five years.

Sarutobi clears his throat, and I release the silver haired man and turn to face him. Or...I try to. He's still hugging me nice and tight. It's a moment or two until he does let me go. "That is all, you four. Go meet your teams and get to know them. Test them not today, but soon so that we may either send some back to the academy, or continue with their career".

"Sir!" We nod, and decide to leave through the window. Kakashi and I are the last ones to exit, with him going first and myself second.

It feels good to fly above the roof tops and see the sights of the village again. I missed it! I grin as I fly at Kakashi's side, heading for the academy and obviously late. Poor kiddies. Not. They're gonna have to get used to that. Even five years ago he had a thing for being late- a tribute to Obito basically. I now wait here on the roof, waiting for Kakashi to bring the brats to the roof. But when I see a poof, all I see is Kakashi himself. "Where are the brats?"

Kakashi leans next to me as I have myself perched on the railing, his arms crossed over his chest casually. "It doesn't look like they're going to pass. Naruto set up a trap for me, a simple one as compared to the one you told me about five years ago. I let myself get hit by it. Naruto loudly exclaimed that it was a direct hit, Sakura pretended to not be impressed and instead be against the cheering, and Sasuke ignored the two and doesn't believe that I am a Jonin".

I scowl, "It seems my five years away has made Naruto regress; you must have been on a lot of missions". I get a nod. "A shame. If I had stayed...That doesn't matter now, it's in the past and I cannot change it".

It takes little time for the trio to make their way to the roof and show me how much each of them has changed. Starting with ladies first...It doesn't look like mentally Sakura has changed at all. And with Hokage-sama's explanation of how she is now, I can see why. She wears a red and white battle dress, black shorts under that and simple shinobi sandals. Her new hitai-ate is what replaces the red ribbon I had seen years ago. Still, she should grow up to be a pretty kunoichi. She'd be strong one too if she actually tried. Sasuke has gone from the happy Uchiha boy to someone who broods a lot- I can see this just by looking at his 'I hate everything' look on his face. Poor Itachi. I wonder how he copes. He wears something similar to what he used to wear, save now his shirt is short sleeved and he's taller. That's basically it though. Same hair style, same pale skin, same color of the shirt and pants, same Uchiha fan on the back. He wears his hitai-ate around its namesake. Naruto does as well. His clothing has changed a good amount itself, which he seems to like despite the fact that it screams 'I'm right here! Please kill me!' However, if I've heard right from Sarutobi through his letters to me, his stealth skills are to die for being able to get away from Anbu in that thing. That's no feat. His hair is still as yellow and spiky, and his blue eyes still as bright as the ocean. I've seen pictures of his father, and even without Kakashi telling me I'd guess that he was Minato's boy. He's practically the spitting image of him, blue eyes and all. The only difference is the whisker marks, and those are thanks to the Fox.

They sit down on the two steps before Kakashi and I, Sakura between the two boys and happy as can be about sitting next to Sasuke. Her eyes focus on Kakashi and I, but stay glued to me. "Who is she? I thought we only get one sensei?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," I see what you did there, Kakashi. They obviously don't though. "How about we first get to know one another? Tell me about yourselves?"

"Huh?" The pink haired girl questions, "How are we gonna do that?"

"You know...Your name, your likes...Your dislikes, dreams for the future...Your hobbies would be nice too," Kakashi states lazily.

"How about you go first so we can see how it's done?" Sakura suggests. Why doesn't she just ask him to introduce himself first? Idiot.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes… My dreams for the future… Hmm… As for my hobbies… I have lots of hobbies…". I grin. Sometimes, I love you Kakashi. You smart ass. "Your turn. Pinky, why don't you go first?"

She glares at him before deciding to comply, "My name is Sakura Haruno. I like, well, who I like...," her eyes trail to the black haired one of the group, giggling lightly. "My hobbies...," another fit of giggles, "And...My dreams for the future," and here she squeals, giving me the ability to see sound. Shit that's high pitched. When asked for her dislikes, her answer is loud and clear, "Naruto!" Yea, I'm gonna have a bit of a problem with her.

"Alright. You next. Tall, dark and brooding," Kakashi motions with his words.

Sasuke is silent for a moment, also not happy with the way he was addressed. However when he does talk, his dark eyes lock onto my bright ones, and don't leave. What? Is he talking directly to me? "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like nothing, and I hate everything. My hobby is training. My dreams are both going to become a reality. I'm going to restore the Uchiha clan and kill a certain someone". Yup. You're cool, Sasuke. Brooding is sexy. That'll get you laid by strong kunoichis every where. Damn that was mean. But I mean come on kiddo! Especially saying 'restore' your clan as you're talking to a woman as good looking as I know myself to be, is not cool. That's just weird. Besides! You're only like what, twelve? Thirteen? Yea no. Leave the sex to your brother. Speaking of him. I wonder- Ho ho nooooo! Not going there!

By the time I'm done my little rant to myself about absolute nonsense, Naruto is practically done his intro, "-Going to be Hokage! That way everyone will just have to notice me and treat me like I'm someone. Someone special and not just some idiot off the street!" Well, at least you're the same in terms of dreams. Mentally...? It seems you got knocked on the head one too many times.

"Okay," Sakura states, "Now who are you?" This is of course a question towards myself.

I tilt my head and I offer her a fang filled smile, "Me? Hmmm. Well, my name is Cross and before you ask, no I don't have a last name. I'll be more helpful than Kakashi was so...My Likes? Flying, training, playing the piano, sparring, jasmine tea...Uhh...I'll leave it at that. My dislikes are those who think they're strong when they're not- especially those who think they're strong but haven't even had a taste of the world. I hate bland foods with a passion, and I despise those who threaten my loved ones or just those who I place under my protection. That's you guys now, just so you know. Let's see...Hobbies...Going for a morning fly, training, playing the piano, sparring on occasion and plain relaxing...That's about it. My dreams for the future? First to make sure my friends find happy lives one way or another. And then to find a happy life for myself- having a good boyfriend if not a husband would be nice too".

There's silence and then, "Now what?" From Naruto.

"Now," Kakashi states simply, "I tell you this. Meet us tomorrow at training ground seven at five. There we will test you to see if you're ready to become Genin".

"WHAT?!" Naruto demands loudly. And now I can see sound again. That was just loud, not high pitched luckily.

Sakura glares at us unhappily, "Yea! What was that test we took yesterday then?"

"Was all the training we did still for nothing?" Sasuke demands lowly.

I sigh and hop my way off the railing, tired of crouching. I easily land on two feet and lean against the railing much like Kakashi is. "We'll just call that test the preliminaries. Listen. I won't give you numbers you won't understand. Let's just say that normally, when everything is over and these tests are either past or failed, at most only three or four teams- that's nine to twelve kids your age- actually make it into becoming real Genin. Passing this test that's goin' to happen means that you're ready to face the world and see what we grownups see, and survive". I pause, "So. Five A.M. sharp. No later no sooner. I'll know how was late and who wasn't". I look to Kakashi, "I believe it's time for dinner; I'm out of here". A silent challenge to race him home, assuming I'm to still live with him. That said, I turn and step onto the railing with both feet. Balance is something I have no problem with so, I turn and wave to the kiddies and then let myself fall before spreading my wings and taking off fully. I love being flashy.

SASUKE'S POV

Itachi always kept on not believing me when I said that the angel who saved me wasn't real. That it was simply a patrolling Anbu woman that saved me. That I may have my memory a little jumbled from dreams of that time, and reality. But he's wrong. I will never forget that day that the angel came down and saved me. She risked her life for me; she knew my name. She got hurt for me. She got me away. When I woke up, I wanted to find her and thank her. But Itachi wouldn't let me leave, said I still needed rest and that he was still working on cleaning up the compound with some other Anbu.

But now I know that I'm right. He had been telling me that I was wrong for so long that I began to believe him. But here I am, sitting in front of her. She looks exactly the same as she did when she saved me. The only difference is the light scar going along the right side of her neck diagonally. Back then, he had her pinned down and was going to kill her and then me. But at the last moment, she kicked through him as all her attacks did, using that as a split second distraction to remove his hand from her throat and slide down and through his legs even as he continued to give the blow. The kunai cut her neck still, but no where that was deadly. And then she let down a smoke bomb, picked me up and we literally flew away. I passed out not long after we started flying, too overwhelmed by everything. When I woke up, she was gone.

She's here. The woman that was with Kakashi is her, I'm sure of it. I saw that scar on the right side of her neck. I wonder if she got amnesia at some point? If she did, then only I can restore it, if not help to restore it. She is my angel. The woman destined to be mine and help me restore my clan. She has to be! Why else would she have appeared after so long? And how many other women dress in leather, have wings and fangs and a tail? She looks more like a demon than an angel, but that's not how her heart- the heart that will one day be mine- is. That's why she's an angel.

CROSS POV

I sigh as I sit on the couch of the apartment I haven't seen in five long years. Kakashi stands there at the stove, preparing us a meal in celebration to my return. We've already met up with Guy, who was ecstatic to learn that I'm back after so long. Apparently at some point when both Guy and I are off duty, I owe him a drink seeing as I'm eighteen. If I aged normally, I'd actually be twenty one. But...eh. I don't mind getting a drink.

"Are you sure you didn't want me to cook?" I question Kakashi as he works. I haven't made someone else a meal in so long, that I actually want to make food for them.

Kakashi walks from the stove, the food only has to fully cook now. "I'm sure," he eye smiles at me. Being home means that he's without his flack jacket and his hitai-ate, also showing me his closed and scarred eye. Without his flack jacket, I can't help but admire his build more than I did before. While lithe and strong, it is not bulky nor streamline. A practically perfect balance between the two. And to help show this off is the tight black long sleeved shirt he dare wear right now. He sits down next to me and faces me, simply staring for a moment or two before questioning, "What did you do for those five years? What was 'training'?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Tests Are Stupid...Partial Truth**

I sigh as the question I was dreading came along. Of course he would be the first out of himself and Itachi- the only two I told this excuse to- to ask what my real agenda was. "I...Went back to where you found me. The abandoned hide out where you and Tenzin broke open not only my tank, but that snake's tank as well. Tobi- the man that had destroyed the Uchiha clan in a single night- called me something I've only ever thought myself to be based off of. Succubus- a female sex demon that prays on men at night, and either rapes them to impregnate themselves, or rapes them and then kills them...Or simply kills them after giving them blissful dreams. I never thought anything of it until that's what he called me by over and over. Not kunoichi. Not shinobi. Not woman or even girl. Succubus. 'Why do you save him, Succubus?' 'Was your last target an Uchiha, Succubus?' 'Your attacks are nothing against me, Succubus'," I recall various phrases he said to me during that short ten minute fight that I barely kept myself getting killed during. "It bothered me. Couldn't he call me something else? So I talked to Hokage-sama about it. He told me that if I truly wanted to find out more about my origin...Then I should leave for a little while. He'd give me six years tops, simply because he knows how hard it is to both find Orochimaru's hide outs, as well as because there's so much that I can do in finding myself. It didn't take me long to find where you found me. Not long at all. What I found was...Something that saddens me greatly". I pause to let him take all this in, as well as check the food- porcupine balls, which are now ready. He brings me a plate of ten, and a pair chopsticks as well as soup to eat them with. We eat at the couch obviously. I take a bite of food, and mentally bite my lip as I chew. What will he say? How will he take it? I can barely contain the tears that threaten to appear and spill.

By the time I look from my food to Kakashi, his meal is already done. I can't help but smile a little bit at that. Always so mysterious. Maybe that's why he was his generation's heart throb back in the day. Heh. He probably still is his generation's hearth throb. "What did you find out?" Kakashi gently presses.

Oh. Right. That. I let out a long sigh. "I'm...I'm not even human, Kakashi," I whimper out. "I knew I was different, but I always thought I was taken from some weird clan with origins like the Tsu brothers- how they're from a dragon-human blood line and all. But I'm not even that!...Thousands of years ago, before even the Sage of Six Paths and excluding the chakra-made demons we call tailed beasts, there really were demons that roamed the lands. Orochimaru, by some obscure means- not even his notes say how- found demonic DNA and literally grew me in that tube! I only knew how to talk because I learned the words spoken in front of my tube mentally, but my jaw never gave them a try". By now, the tears really are falling. "I have no family to return to, or even to try to find the remnants of. I'm the descendant of a race called fallen angels. Kind of like the fallen angels in some religions, but not really. Angels were born on earth...And when a demon mated with an angel, you got fallen angels according to Orochimaru's findings. Fallen angels were almost always beautiful creatures with the human features of an angel, but their wings, due to their demonic blood, looked like bat wings. Female fallen angels were called Succubi, and a good portion of them made the myth we know now happen- same with Incubi, male fallen angels. A-Apparently the power of the fallen angel- succubus or incubus- depended on what kind of demon their angel parent mated with. If it was a strong demon, they'd have gold eyes like mine, marking their fathers as wolf demons and therefore attributing to giving the fallen angel a claws and fangs. I-I...I'm a monster, Kakashi! I'm sort of tube-born fallen angel...Succubus...Wolf demon-angel...Thing!" By now, I'm openly blubbering, my shoulders shaking, my tail has long since given up on staying around my waist, and I'm just an over all mess.

KAKASHI'S POV

I had known from the beginning that she wasn't human. From day one I knew I was in contact with something completely and utterly not human. And to be honest, I didn't care. Obito wouldn't. He'd think she was cool. Rin would have treated her like a sister and taken care of her until the end of her days. Minato-sensei...He'd be just as accepting, if not more. He'd probably go so far to adopt Cross, simply because she had no where else to go, and he was that kind of man. If I had been a bit less independent, I know he would have adopted me- something I would have accepted with a smile. With those three in mind, I pushed aside my initial dislike for her and got to know her. I taught her how to talk, how to fight and how chakra worked. With Yugao's help I taught her how life in general worked. And soon enough, we became best of friends. I was willing to put aside seeing any of my friends- though close we were not- for a whole year just to make sure she learned everything she needed to in that time. She wasn't human, and I didn't care.

Now, over five years- eight to be exact- later, she comes to me with information like this. What is the first thing that pops into my head when she begins her explanation of what she found? Simple: So? I didn't tell her in the first place because something like this would do worse than simply devastate her and slightly mess up with her way of thought. It would have most likely made her want to isolate herself in an attempt to protect us from any evil bone in her body that she thought she had. Now that she tells me that not only is she a fallen angel- the female gender being called succubus and the result of an angel and demon mating- but that she is a very powerful fallen angel at that, something runs through my head.

I can't not tell her what I think. Of course I have to tell her; she's my best friend for starters. Secondly she's sitting here fretting over something that she shouldn't. "Cross," I call to her, getting her attention as she looks at me through a red and tear stained face. Her beautiful eyes are blood shot and dry, her lashes drenched. "I don't care about any of that. I'm a bit insulted that you would think that I would take this news badly. Treating you like a demon- even if you are one through and through- would be treating Naruto like one".

"He's not a demon though! He's just the container of a demon! I have demon blood! I-"

"And he has demon chakra. Both are from a demon. Both are held by two of the most kind hearted people I know," granted I don't know Naruto well, but I knew his father. And if he's like either of his parents- which with getting the attention he needs he should be- he's a saint. "I don't care about chakra or blood or genetics or any of that. You'll find that no right minded shinobi does, let alone any of our friends, does". My tone as usual is as calm as it should be, however my black eye is attentive and alert to make sure I get my point across. She looks at me with still leaking molten golden eyes, but she's not whimpering any more. I watch her as she sniffles and stutter breathes in an attempt to calm herself down. I purse my lips behind my mask. I'm not much of one for hugging. That one from earlier was one of the rare ones I give. However..."Come here," I tell her, Opening my arms. She wastes no time, only pausing for a second, before throwing herself into my hold with a whimper. As she comes at me, I can see not only happiness, but relief and over all glee.

What I didn't expect was the strength at which she comes at me with. It causes me to fall backwards from my sitting position and land with my back on the couch. She lays on me, her arms around my neck and her face buried in my chest. Her tail wraps around one of my legs multiple times, and her wings are draped over my position and the couch. I pause, a bit unsure if I should. I was offering myself for her to hug me. I never said I'd hug back...I find myself wrapping an arm around her waist, and the other just below the juncture where her wings meet her back. My hand of that arm ends up between the wings themselves. I bury my cloth covered nose in her blue hair, and I find myself surprised by the intoxicating scent she gives off. The smell of vanilla, fresh air after a hard rain, and the indescribable scent of woman. I let out long, slow breaths as to silently guide her into following my example. She slowly calms her breathing. However it's not to the kind of breathing of someone calm but alert. Instead, it seems that all that burst of emotion- as well as the travel back to Konoha from where ever else she was- has tired her out. I sigh, and sit up, pushing against gravity and her body weight. Once I'm sitting up, I stand without gathering her legs up as that position made it impossible. Now that I'm standing though, I indeed gather her up bridal style, her wings complying with whatever way I put her, and carry her to her room. There, I put her down on the blankets that I made sure to keep clean seeing as I didn't know when she was coming home. I put her, with a bit of a struggle, under the covers on her back, and cover her up before backing off.

From there I turn to leave when, "Mmmnnn...Kakashi," her tired voice coos and I stop. I turn slightly to see that her right wing has furled to her back loosely while her left one is draped over her and limp. I blink my single open eye before trying to leave. "Kakashi," her voice coos again, but this time with a tone to her voice that sends a shiver of pleasure down my spine.

The things I could do to her while she was saying my name like that. Another shudder goes down my spine, but not because she called my name or anything. I need a cold shower. I thought I banned myself from having such thoughts...It must because of the joy in having her home. And...I guess she's old enough for me to be thinking such thoughts. It'll just...Take time to get used to. I am not a pervert...Well, I am, but I'm not like the genius writer Jiraiya. I don't go around peeping on women nor looking at them as though they were meat- if I did I'd end up in a worse shape than he. Over all, it's her body that doesn't age, not her mind, and I don't mind that. I sigh as I pull a towel from the bathroom closet and head into said bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me. Seconds later, cold water is washing down my frame.

I can't remember when I started thinking such thoughts about her, and at first I thought it was natural male yearning with sexual tension seeing as we live together. However, I felt no yearning towards any other woman that passed me by, nor any woman- Yugao for example- I worked with. It was just Cross I wanted to hold at all times. I know that I started thinking those thoughts before her seventeenth birthday. But I'm not sure when before exactly. Still, when she left I figured that such feelings would disappear. That the pounding of my heart when she's near would leave. However, the simple urge to hold her is still there. I suppose...This is love? I love Cross...? It makes sense. Even before she left, I simply wanted to hold her hand, kiss her, put my arm around her waist, things like that. Yes, I wanted to have sex with her, but it did not drive me to want to kiss her or anything I mentioned. In fact it was the other way around. And now that while she was gone I managed to keep my mind off of her- though it took a lot of trying on my part- the thoughts have only returned ten fold. I should have stolen a kiss from her before I left for my shower. I really should have.

I sigh and return to my room and dress for bed, dressing in nothing but pajama pants. I soon find myself tired, and I slip under the covers and let sleep take me. Tomorrow, I have a team to fail. That is, unless they actually do pass. Hopefully Naruto at least will see underneath the underneath. Something tells me he won't even be coming close, though.

CROSS' POV

The next morning I wake up with slightly crusty eyes due to the tears that I had shed the night before. I sigh. That was pathetic as it gets, I guess. Coming home only to cry into your best friend's shirt and soak it with snot and tears. I'm such a pathetic per- de-...No, Kakashi and the others treat me like a person. So I'm a pathetic person. Doing that to Kakashi. Poor guy. None the less, I get up and stretch before getting up and looking myself over. Ugh. My clothes need a wash. From my right shuriken pouch, I pull a scroll and swipe a little blood on it. Out of it comes the white and black dragon scale outfit I got from Saiai and Nikun. I search my drawers and find panties still there- I had only taken so many with me when I left because I knew I was coming back- and a bra before heading for the bathroom. The door is open, so I know Kakashi's not in there taking a shower for himself. I haven't had a real shower in...Five years. I know that sounds gross but trust me, I've been keeping clean. I think parts of my body would start to rot away if I didn't bathe for that long.

There's a knock on the locked door and I jump, "I'm going to visit Obito, Rin and Sensei. I'll see you at the training ground," Kakashi tells me from the other side of the door.

I stick my head out of the shower so I can call back, "I'll join you at the stone when I get done with my shower; I'll bring breakfast with. Anything specific you want?"

"Not really," Kakashi tells me. The next thing I hear is the door closing.

I sigh as I sit down in the shower, simply letting the hot water run over my muscles and soothe them. It feels wonderful, taking a hot shower. Waterfalls were only ever cold and since I was constantly moving because I could, I never really looked for hot springs. I was stupid not to take any money with me but eh. I just better learned how to camp and what not. I step out of the shower, drying myself off on the shower mat on the tiles and getting dressed in there even though Kakashi is gone. I have to remake the habit of changing in private so that we don't have any awkward mishaps. Once dressed in the white and black dragon scale leather, I make my way back into my room and grab my black shuriken pouches that Yugao gave me on my seventeenth birthday, placing them on my hips like I usually do. Around my neck goes my hitai-ate, my fingers tying the black cloth tight so that the metal is right against my neck. I look down at the two necklaces I haven't removed for five years, and don't plan on ever removing. The kanji for freedom and the falcon. Both wonderful presents from wonderful men. Braiding my hair is probably what takes me the most time aside from showering, seeing as it's long, coming down to the small of my back, and fine. None the less, I purse my lips before deciding to make onigiri for breakfast. Not much of a breakfast food but I don't want to keep Kakashi and the others waiting. When I say the others, I mean Obito, Rin and Minato. Screw the kiddies. If they don't eat breakfast like I'm sure Kakashi told them not to before he left, then they're idiots. Once the onigiri are made, I've made two bentos, I'm ready to go, putting on the white heeled shinobi sandals for the first time in a while- I personally prefer the black one but that's because I enjoy the color. Out the door, over the railing and off I go, black leathery wings carrying me as they always have.

It takes me practically no time at all to get to the KIA stone, which is rather close to our training ground but no matter. I land silently, and make my way to the man who stands there silently bowing his head to the names of those he lost. I sigh and put the bento for two down before bowing my head gently myself. I never met them. Any of the people on this rock. But the names that Kakashi is here for, helped him grow to be the shinobi that found me, saved me, and taught me everything I know. I am grateful towards them, so that's why I'm here. After about half an hour of being silent, I bend down and take a hold of one of the bentos before opening it. The other one remains untouched; it's a gift to those on this stone. I take only those on the right, seeing as they're filled with a sweet bean paste that I know that Kakashi wouldn't like. We stay there at the stone for hours, with me simply being quiet after thanking Minato- telling him I'll make sure Naruto stays safe-, Obito and Rin. I don't know what Kakashi is telling them in his head, or what he's thinking about, but I have a good guess. He's making promises to them. To keep this team safe no matter what. To make them strong, as much as he can, and so on and so forth. But that's only a guess. For all I know he could be recalling good memories.

It's hours before Kakashi finally decides that we should go. He backs away from the stone before turning, silent as an assassin. I in the mean time bow to the lot of the names one more time before turning and making a shadow clone. I tell her to go home and take care of the dishes and then dispel. She nods and takes off without a second thought, obviously off to follow orders like a good clone. With the sun high in the sky and it almost being noon of all things, Kakashi and I walk into the training ground to see a standing and stoic Sasuke, a crouching Sakura, and a sleeping Naruto.

"Morning kiddies," I sing song to them from Kakashi's side. "Hope the lot of you had a good sleep last night".

Upon realizing that my partner and I are here, the girl and the blonde jump to their feet and point at us, "YOU'RE LATE!" Again. So what?

"Yes," Kakashi eye smiles at them, "But a black cat crossed our path on the way here so we had to find another way around". This makes me smile. What a sad excuse.

"LIAR!" The kiddies seem to think so too.

I laugh before sighing and walking behind the silver haired Jonin, pulling an alarm clock onto one of the three stumps in the field. "See this baby? It's set for noon. I'm not gonna start it yet, but I figured I'd tell you".

"Now, the test you three will be taking is simple," Kakashi tells the tree of them as their attention goes to him. He holds up two silver bells, each with its own thin string. He tosses one to me, and I easily catch it in my hand and dangle it like him. "All you have to do is take a bell from either myself for from Cross. Simple as that".

"But...Sensei," Sakura starts, "There's only two bells and there's three of us".

"I know. That's why at least two of you need to get the bells. The one who doesn't, not only doesn't get lunch, but also gets tied to one of those three posts and fails and is sent back to the Academy. Oh, and they get to watch the rest of us eat lunch too. You have to come at us with the intent to kill. When I say 'begin', Cross will start the clock; you have until noon to get a bell. It's eleven right now," Kakashi explains in full. Two bells and three people huh?...So that's how this little game works. Okay. Heh, tricky bastard.

Naruto growls and falls into a fighting stance, pulling a kunai from his pouch, "Fine! Let's go you old scarecrow! Raaahhh!" He charges, only for Kakashi to easily out maneuver him and pin him to the ground. An arm is pinned behind his back which is also stepped on, and the kunai Naruto had is pointed at his neck.

"Now hold on bucko," I call to the boy from my spot that is leaning against the middle post, "He didn't say 'begin' yet".

"But...I'm beginning to like you three," Kakashi eye smiles to them before letting the boy up, "Begin".

Smartly, Sakura and Sasuke take off and set into hiding. However, Naruto isn't so smart to do so. As I make my way to Kakashi's side after starting the clock, the boy stays where he is. I turn and raise a brow as my tail leaves my waist and sets to waving back and forth, "You're not the sharpest shuriken in the pouch, are you kiddo?"

"Shut up!" He points at me. "I'm gonna take both you and Kakashi-sensei all by myself! Then you'll realize just how strong I am!" Ugh. And so he rushes us.

"It seems I'm going to have to be 'serious' about this," Kakashi mutters to me. I raise a brow as his hand falls into his shuriken pouch only to pull out a...Book. Not just any book, but an Icha Ichia Paradise book. My brow twitches. We're gonna have a talk about that; perv.

Naruto stops his rushing and blinks stupidly, "A book?! You being 'serious' is pulling out a book?!" He's obviously not happy. "Stop under estimating me! I'll show you!" He pulls out shuriken and throws them.

I sigh, "Shall I or shall you?" I have plenty of time to just sit here and talk at the pace those dull things are. He probably had to get them out of the garbage or something; poor kid...Maybe I'll give him my old set that was replaced by the ones Yugao gave me. I'm sure they're still plenty sharp and in good condition.

"I'll get them," Kakashi tells me, just before he coolly catches them on his fingers, said fingers going through the ring in the middle. "You're going to have to try harder if you want either of those bells".

"Grrr!" The boy snarls, and this time he actually does charge us for real and into a bout of taijutsu we go.

Seeing as Kakashi only has one hand and two feet to use, not that he needs all of them, I'll play the part of that second hand. Simply to give them a clue as to what should be happening between the three of them. Naruto's attacks aren't organized nor set to compliment one another, so all I need to do is use a single hand to work with Kakashi's. Being that he's not using his left hand, I stand in front of him and use my own left hand as his own. Damn this is boring. I guess I can scold Kakashi now.

"You're really reading that shit?" I glare at him as he reads and we block as needed. "I don't approve in the slightest".

Kakashi looks from his book to me, "What? But the story line is so good! I don't just read it for the pictures I read it for the story line. Like, in this one-".

I glare at the man, "Don't even go there. If you want a book with a good story line, look for something else, not...Manga. That's basically what that picture book is. It's a manga".

His eye trails back to the little orange glad thing- no, not Naruto, the book- and then back to me, "I'm okay with that". This makes me blanch. Seriously?! "Just- here. Read a couple pages; I'll hold, you turn. Read a few pages and tell me he's not a good author".

I open my jaws to scoff, only for Naruto to get fed up with our nonsense and kick the book out of Kakashi's hand from out of no where. It lands with a flop onto the ground, "I told you not to underestimate me and here you are, talking while you defend yourselves! Pay attention!"

Kakashi's single eye is on the book, his body still as a bolder."I don't think you should have done that, kiddo," I tell him as there's now fire in that single dark eye. This fire is turned to Naruto and next thing I know, Kakashi's sticking his fingers up Naruto's butt using the handsign for tora. I blink at him as Naruto goes flying into the near by pond with a splash. I raise a brow and watch as Kakashi picks up his book before dusting it off and walking back to me, "Did you really just have to do that?"

"I could have been much more cruel," Kakashi eye smiles to me before handing me the book. "Now. While we have time, read a few pages". He looks towards the swarm of Narutos- is that a thing?- headed our way. "I'll take care of Naruto".

I blink as the silver haired Jonin leaves me with the book and goes off to be the sensei he is and probably beat the poor orange clad ninja up. I tilt my head as I start reading. Tsuki was a quiet girl with a quiet life...A normal village girl with a mother and a father. She wasn't a shinobi, despite the fact that her brother was. Hmmm. She met Raijin, a young shinobi in training whom was passing through her home with her team. It was a- Aww, poor Kakashi, getting a substitution of himself barraged by kunai and shuriken. I guess the book is okay. The story line is fine...I skip forward a little bit further and my eyes widen. Okay, so it's a bit graphic. But it's nothing I can't handle...I'll let him get away with it I guess. I look up as I snap the book shut, and I watch as kunai come my way. With my free hand, I pluck the kunai out of the air and look at them. Such pathetic little knives in my opinion. I know that they're wonderful for battle and they're so versatile, but if I need to throw something bladed, I'll throw my shuriken. If I need to slash or stab someone up close, that's what my claws are for. "You're gonna have to do better than that, Pinky," I tell Sakura as I look straight at her hiding spot, watching as she gasps before leaving her spot. I laugh to myself before disappearing in a burst of speed to sit with Kakashi. Where I end up, is just behind Sasuke.

"That was a nice try," Kakashi praises the boy, causing him to spin around and look at the two of us. "But you failed in the end so it wasn't good enough of a try".

Sasuke is silent as he lashes out at the two of us, and as one we dodge before landing in the field again. The boy rushes Kakashi, kunai in hand only for me to block it with the back of my bone claw armored hand. There's not even a real struggle on my side as he pushes down, and I force him to stumble forward and into Kakashi's barrage of pulled punches by suddenly stepping to the side and no longer supporting his weight.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Real Test And Slick Uchiha Moves**

Sasuke barely catches himself to keep from being punched. However as he backs up and to the side, I'm waiting there, and he ends up with a foot to his ribs. I hear a shrill scream. One of Kakashi's clones must have found Sakura and placed a genjutsu on her. Of what, I have a pretty good idea but I don't really bother to ask. I step around a kick sent to my face- kid's flexible for a boy, as all male shinobi should be- and push him to the side into Kakashi's kick to his but. Sasuke is then taken by me by the scruff of his shirt and thrown back to give us some distance.

The boy's slightly battered form glares at us, and his hands weave through signs before settling on one. My eyes widen as he speaks up, "Katon: Gokyakyuu no Jutsu!" His right hand forms a single O with the opening via his thumb and forefinger. He takes a breath, and through his hand and from chakra concentration a large fire ball that's impressive in size takes form.

I look to my partner and raise a brow. I wouldn't know so, "Are Genin supposed to be able to do A-ranked jutsu?"

Kakashi shakes his head with a wide eye, "No...But he is Itachi's brother". His hands fly through a few handsigns before simply sinking into the ground, leaving me to face the large fire ball all on my own.

His words make me grin. Itachi's brother he is indeed. My hands easily slide through sign after sign before I call my own jutsu in return, "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" From behind me at blinding speeds a large wave wraps around me and rises up upon my command, protecting me from the grand fire ball that dare to try and get at me. This causes a bunch of mist, and I grin. I see you Itachi. Hiding and watching your little brother's prowess after or before a mission? You sneaky man you. Five years ago I wouldn't be able to travel through this mist. However, I've learned that one does not just rely on their eyes to battle. I ignore my lack of vision, and go to where I can hear Sasuke's breathing. My steps are silent, and soon enough I find myself standing behind the boy. I place my hands on his shoulders, making him gasp and curse and jump from being startled all in one. I grin as my tail comes around the sharp edge of the arrow head tip coming to his throat. "You're very good, Sasuke," I whisper into his ear, "I never figured a Genin could do such a high level jutsu; I'm very impressed". I take a look at his serious and mostly stoic face as I continue to whisper in his ear. "Do you know what they say about men who can make big fireballs?" I laugh as I feel his body twitch under my hands, and I switch ears, Kakashi's had plenty of time to get under him by now; he's just waiting for the perfect moment, "They say they've got large chakra reserves!" My voice goes from low and seductive to happy and playful all in one sentence. I take a single step back as I see Kakashi's hand pop up from the ground and grab Sasuke's ankle. A second later and the boy is pulled down into the earth up to his shoulders. Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu; what a wonderfully humiliating technique.

Kakashi makes his way out of the earth, standing in front of the young Uchiha while I make my way to his side. He gives the boy an eye smile, "That too was a good try. But you let yourself get distracted by Cross; never take your eyes off of your opponent".

I blink as a shadow clone that I had told to keep an eye on the clock and the food dispels and gives me the information she learned. I sigh and shake my head, "Kakashi, we have a fox in the garbage," I tell him with a side glance.

"So we do, do we? I'll take care of him. Why don't you take care of Sasuke and make sure that Sakura is on her way back?" He says this just as the bell rings, and with a simple shinshun he disappears in a poof of smoke. Show off.

"Yea," I mutter before spreading my wings and ridding the area around us of the mist that had been created. With a few powerful pushes and pulls of my wings, the mist is gone as planned and I crouch before Sasuke. "You ready to get out of there?"

Sasuke looks at me blankly. At least it's better than the glare or stoic look he's always giving the others. I feel special. "Obviously".

I roll my eyes, "Alrighty. Hold still". I roll through the handsigns as is needed before slapping my palms onto the ground and letting my chakra run through the earth. I'm not too good at earth release, but I am good enough to be able to use them to my advantage- I'm just not a master at them. "Doton: Doruki Gaishi," my voice practically sighs out. The result is a large wall of earth that also contains Sasuke moves in order to stand on one of its thinner sides. Knowing that that's all I have to do, I stand, and the jutsu breaks apart with Sasuke falling to his feet. "Go back and meet up with Kakashi. I'm gonna go make sure Sakura is on her way back too".

"I'll come with you," Sasuke tells me as I make my way towards the surrounding trees.

"No, Sasuke. You go back to the stumps. Do as I tell you," I turn to throw him a smirk to show that I'm not trying to be a bitch or anything, "'Kay?" Once I enter the woods, I walk for about ten minutes before stopping and looking up to see a weasel mask looking down at me expressionlessly. I raise a brow before nimbly jumping onto the branch to join him, "Come to check on your brother? I thought you asked me to take care of him?"

"I did," Itachi states, sliding his mask to the side of his head to show me his real face, "But I couldn't help myself. I saw the fire and wanted to see just how large Sasuke could make it; he did well at holding his own".

"Yea but that's not the point of the test," I throw out there with a shrug, "There's no point on being good at one on one stuff if you can't also fight on a team". Itachi silently nods. My brows furrow, "Do you mind me asking...How your relationship is? Brother to brother wise?"

Itachi is silent and then he sighs, "I don't mind, no. Our family relationship is...Strained. Mainly because he thinks that because I was already used to seeing and causing death due to my profession that I wasn't as impacted by the loss of our family as much as he. Even when I insist that I feel just as much pain in my heart every day when I walk out of that compound and see it empty save for the two of us. He also wants revenge on the man called Tobi that you both encountered. I've tried telling him that revenge gives him nothing in the end- not happiness, not our clan's lives, nothing but more the death. But he disagrees. He believes that killing Tobi will bring calmness to his soul; I know it won't but he stands firm. None of this is helped by the fact that I am not home half the time. As you know being an Anbu means that it's mission after mission and it's not uncommon for you to be away from home for weeks at a time," he sighs and lightly ruffles his hair. I can see that his eyes are tired. So very tired. "When I am home, I tend to sleep for a good while, and during that time he's out training. When we do spend time together, it's nice, but it's not like old times".

I purse my lips and sigh. Poor Itachi. His only brother is so hell bent on revenge and the search for power that not even he can dissuade him. And if Itachi can't, then who can? I know I can't. I'm just a stranger to him. "I'll try to do what I can in terms of getting him on the right path. But if you can't, then as a stranger and a sensei my powers are limited. If maybe he had a source of love in his life- a girl- he'd be tempted to stay and we could act on that. But I'm not willing to play games and I'm too old for him so I can't. And I don't see any of the girls of his generation being of any use; they're all fan girls and those who aren't are few in number to the point where I can't think of any". I pause before stating, "I've gotta get going; my team and Kakashi are probably off doing stuff". Itachi nods before moving to put on his mask. I stop him for a second, before pulling myself closer to him and hugging him. He's slow to react, but eventually his arms are put around my frame. We stay like that for a moment or two before I back off and release him, "You needed one of those," I smile to him before taking off via branch hopping. When I do get to the others, I find Kakashi freaking the kiddies out.

"What?! You're a team and you're in this together?!" Kakashi demands, his hands weaving through handsigns and as a result a storm above appears. I grin and use their concentration on him to sneak up behind him. My frame is just small enough that I can hide behind him and spread my wings to make it look like he's the one with the wings. I bet he looks nice and scary now. "That's all you have to say?!" Lightning crashes before his hands fall from the sign and the storm moves away, I furl my wings as he eye smiles to them, "You pass".

"...Huh?" Naruto, whom is tied to a post- dumb ass- questions with confusion written on his face.

"You...Pass," I grin out before Kakashi can speak up. I step out from behind him and continue to grin. "Good job kiddies".

"Wait...We pass? But we went against your orders," Sakura insists, obviously not getting it. And she's supposed to be the smart one? Ugh.

"Those who go against the rules, are trash," Kakashi states, "But those who abandon their friends and team mates are worse than trash". They're practically the murderer themselves if the abandoned friend or team mate is killed. Kakashi turns and walks away, eye facing the sky as he speaks. "Have any of you ever heard of the KIA memorial we have in the village? It's a stone with many heros' names on them".

"Heroes?" Naruto's ears perk up and he squirms in his binds, "I wanna be a hero! One day my name is gonna be on that stone! You'll see!"

"Naruto," Sakura mutters lowly, her green eyes sorrowful, "KIA means Killed In Action," she tells the boy.

"O-oh...," blue eyes drop to the ground no longer so enthusiastic about the memorial. At least he realizes his mistake. My eyes fall to Sasuke, who's hands are clenched into tight fists, and his eyes bore holes into the ground he sits on.

"Not only mine, but Cross' comrades are on this stone; best friends even. There are times when as a shinobi you are put into a life or death situation, and it's not your life that's in danger or your team mate's," Kakashi continues, now turning to look at the trio.

"For example," I sigh out, walking around the three only to suddenly strike as Sasuke still glares at the innocent grass- poor grass, didn't do anything to him. The ball of my kunai heeled sandal slams into Sasuke's back, and I pin him there, knee slamming into his spine none too gently. A single pointer claw is unsheathed and placed to the boy's throat while my other heeled foot pins his wrist between kunai heel and ball of said foot; my free hand pins his other hand to his back leaving him immobile. My gaze becomes dark and unforgiving, tail lashing back and forth and fangs bared, "Sakura: Kill Naruto there or Sasuke dies!"

Her green eyes go from surprised to horrified as she looks from the downed Sasuke to the tied up Naruto. "W-what?!"

"S-S-Sakura-ch-chan! Please don't," Naruto whimpers, squirming in his binds against the pole.

"I didn't stutter you little pink haired bitch," sorry, but that was needed, "You heard me! Kill Naruto or your beloved Sasuke here dies," a low growl rips from my throat, and the talon at his neck draws a tiny bit of blood. Poor girl looks like she's about to cry. I pause, and just like that my dark look disappears completely. My hold on Sasuke is gentle and my claw returns to simply the length of my finger instead of double that. "Things like what just happen all the time, you three". I stand and help Sasuke up. I look at his neck and see a bit of blood dribbling there, and put a hand on his shoulder as to make him stand still as I wipe his neck clean with a gentle thumb.

"Enemies are unforgiving. Even to children," Kakashi states. "That's why Cross and I are going to train the three of you to become the strongest shinobi you can be. That way that situation never happens for real". He relaxes completely. "Now...Now that all of that is over, how about some lunch? My treat".

"Alright!" Naruto beams, "I'm starving!"

"Thank you Sensei," Sakura smiles to Kakashi, "I'd love something to eat; I'm hungry too".

I smile and cut through the rope holding Naruto so he doesn't get left behind with one of the sharp edges of the arrow head tip of my tail. He goes dashing off to catch up with Kakashi and Sakura. Sasuke and I are about half a yard behind them. I look down the black haired boy, "I didn't hurt you, did I? If that cut on your neck still hurts, then I'll nurse you back to full health," which is a day of healing but I might as well as be nice.

I watch as he pauses, eyes wide for a moment, before he continues to walk, "No, I'm fine," He tells me before speeding up to walk with the others, I follow soon after.

"Are we gonna have ramen Sensei? I know of this place that's really great! It's called Ichiraku's Ramen!" Naruto questions me as I've taken to Kakashi's left side.

I laugh at him and shrug, "If that's where we're going, then of course you can have ramen," I see Kakashi nod his consent.

"Allllright!" It's like the boy just had his first Christmas or something.

By the time we're at the ramen stand, me having ordered beef along with Naruto, Kakashi speaks. Wait...Damn it! He's done already again! Asshole not showing us his face! "Tomorrow we take on our first mission. Meet Cross and I at Hokage tower at seven in the morning; don't be late".

"Yes sir!" Naruto talks through his mouthful off food before swallowing. Damn this kid can eat!

It's not long until we're all done lunch and going our separate ways. I stand and walk towards Hokage Tower with Kakashi, aiming to head for the meeting to report whether our team passed or not. The meeting is two hours away from right now, however anything Hokage related Kakashi refuses to be late for- as opposed to him being late for everything else. Scratch that. I would be walking with Kakashi when a droll voice speaks up from behind us.

"Cross," Sasuke intones and I turn to meet his eyes, "My neck hurts".

I raise a brow. It shouldn't. I shrug before turning to Kakashi, "I probably cut him a bit deeper than I thought when I pinned him earlier as an example. I'm gonna patch him up; I'll meet you at the meeting". Kakashi looks from me to Sasuke, curious as myself, but says nothing save an 'alright' and goes on his way. Once Kakashi is gone and down the street, I turn to face the thirteen year old boy and suggest, "The Uchiha compound is closer to here than my place. Why don't we get you cleaned up there and I'll be on my way?" Is silent but nods all the same before turning and leading the way to his home.

SASUKE'S POV

Alone at last with my angel. My beautiful, breath taking angel. I don't think she remembers me, I've changed a lot over the passed five years, but I remember her. She hasn't changed at all. Still that beautiful smile, that welcoming voice, the strides in her steps full of grace and power all in one. Yes. I remember. My angel. My Cross. My mind goes back to the bell test that ended only forty five minutes ago. I recall when she had been fighting at Kakashi's side. Her timing with his was perfect. It was like their body was one, and that her left hand was his own even though she was merely talking to him about some sort of book. I remember my awe at her grace with those movements. She is the perfect example of what a kunoichi should be: beautiful, graceful, gentle, and yet powerful, merciless, dangerous all meshed into one body. My angel. My Cross. One day, we'll fight side by side, and one day our timing will be just as good as hers and Kakashi's was.

Even though I'm not that strong yet, I'm still very impressed that she so easily blocked by Katon jutsu with nothing but a Suiton jutsu that seemed to be done almost lazily. I knew both she and Kakashi were playing with me, but I took it all seriously. I wanted to beat down Kakashi, and show Cross my power. But I'm not there yet, I realize. One of these days she'll see my strength and she will come to me, begging to be mine. But not yet. I can wait. Though that doesn't mean I have to like the men she's close to. Kakashi, for example. I don't like him; his relationship with my angel is too close. I'll go with what he says, let him make me stronger, and then I'll take him down and Cross will be mine. And then together we can take down Him.

I sigh as we enter my clan's compound, opening and closing the gates of the wall that surrounds it. The place is empty and as clean as my brother and I keep it. But I remember where each and every dead body laid when I found this place painted red five years ago. I throw that from my thoughts; I need nothing like that on my mind when Cross is right next to me. I look her way just because; white is a good color on her. Just like black. Or any color. We're welcomed by an empty house; Itachi must be on another mission. As usual. Into the bathroom we go and I pull down the first aid kit from behind the mirror, then hand it to her which she takes with a nod.

"Here, we'll do this in your kitchen so things aren't so crowded," she tells me as she exits the bathroom. Damn it. I liked it in there; you were close to me, Cross. I silently nod before leading the way out of the bathroom, through the living room and dining room, and into the kitchen itself. "Sit on the counter if you will," I do as told, picking myself up easily and placing my butt on the white surface. I watch closely as she shuffles through the first aid kid. I don't think she's noticed, but while she and Kakashi were walking away, I found the wound she gave me and not only opened it, but made it deeper. Nothing to the point of truly harming myself, but enough to get the attention I want from her. After seeing what she has to work with, she turns to face me and makes her way to stand in front of me. "Alrighty, Sasuke," a shiver runs down my spine; I love it when she says my name, "Let's see what we got here. Tilt your head for me so I can check out the cut". I do as told, only to jump a bit back as her hands touch the surface of my neck. She pulls back and looks at me, "You okay?"

"Yes," I tell her, dark eyes meeting molten gold, "Your fingers are just hot".

She raises a brow and looks to her fingers, "Huh. Never realized that. Maybe you're a naturally cold skinned person. To be honest, you feel cold to me and I'd be lieing if I said it didn't feel a little nice. The differences in temperature that is". The fact that she enjoyed touching me in any way shape or form makes my heart race. "Anyways, tilt your head so I can get a look see," I comply once more and she brings her face close to my neck; I watch every single one over her movements as best I can. I manage not to flinch as she pulls at the skin that has already started to stitch itself together on the outside yet not on the inside of the wound. "Well, It looks like you won't be needing any of my care after this," she tells me, "The wound, as you might have noticed when I pulled at the skin- sorry about that by the way- has already started to work on healing. I'd give it a few days and it should be gone without leaving a scar". She stands and backs off. As she does so, I manage to take in her scent of pure vanilla, fresh air after a heavy rain and something I can't quite pin point. I meet her gaze one more time as she speaks. However I can't help but to look down at her lips every now and then. I wonder what they'd feel like on mine? "I have to get going to that meeting, okay?" She turns and begins to show herself out, however I won't be having my angel out of my sight if I can help it. She smiles to me one more time before saying, "Don't be late to get our missions tomorrow or else we'll leave you behind". And with that, she's from my sight. I sigh a low sigh. I should have committed her scent to memory when I had the chance. Next time...Next time for sure.

CROSS' POV

I watch as Jonin after Jonin file their way into the Hokage's office, here to report whether or not their team of wannabes pass or not. Failed. Failed. Failed. That's all I hear for a good while from those lined up behind myself, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma as we stand closer towards the front.

Asuma takes a nice long drag of his cigarette before smiling to his father, "Team 10 passed. Lucky them".

Kurenai seems like she couldn't be any happier at the moment as she speaks the words of, "Team 8 passed with a bit of a struggle, but they made it".

Now it's Kakashi's and my turn, eyes falling upon us, mainly the silver haired man at my side due to his apparent fame for harshly failing students. However this time it's different, "Team 7...Passed with flying colors".

I don't know where Kakashi went after the meeting, seeing as I had stopped to ask Kurenai about her bundle of kiddies and who they were. A tracking team she's been made in charge of. A Hyuga: Hinata, the shy heiress of her clan. An Inuzuka: Kiba, a loud and hot tempered boy and his ninken partner Akamaru. And finally an Aburme: Shino, the silent- as all Abumes are- and careful heir to his own clan. I wanna meet them some time. I think I may have in the past on my seventeenth birthday, but I can't really put faces to names. Even if I could, they'd be out dated.

None the less, I make my way out of the first floor's door and go to the outside world. However I'm greeted by three men walking towards the tower, while I'm walking away. They're obviously triplets, what with their similar facial structures and practically identical over all builds. However, they're quite different all the same.

The one on the far right has his hair on the longer side compared to his brothers, bangs choppily framing his face and the rest of it being pulled into a short braid that I bet you money is only down to between his shoulder blades. He is obviously Anbu, what with the tattoo of it being on his right arm. Over the standard Anbu uniform is a haori, the sleeves' edges along with the bottom hem being jagged like a saw. His skin is on the slightly tan side, like a mix of mine and Naruto's own complexions. But it's his eyes that get to me the most. They're not scary or anything, they're just very different. The one is at least. And I'll tell you why. While his left eye is blue like ice, the pupil black and round. The right eye however, is not normal, nor is it human. While the iris and scleroses are both black as the sky on a new moon's night, the pupil is as red as blood or fire, and slit like a reptile's.

The one to the left- to me- as said is identical to the first one. He may be a bit bulkier, but it's hard to tell. None the less, like his brother over the standard Anbu gear is an identical haori when compared to his brother's. His hair however is not long to the point of being put into a braid. Instead, it's about to his shoulders and styled to the point that the symmetry is perfect. Two bangs lightly falling over both his eyes while the rest neatly rests on his shoulders. His eyes are three different colors. The left eye's iris and scleroses is gray, the pupil slit like a reptile's and being of an ice blue color. While although the right eye's iris and scleroses are also gray, the pupil is slit like a reptile's but red like blood or fire.

Finally, the third identical face to look at has auburn hair like his brothers', though the hair is of a naturally windswept look, spikiness taking over the top layer while the other layers are straight and end at his ears. Also just like his brothers, his frame is well built, as any shinobi's body should be unless their genetics say otherwise. Standing at a solid height of at least six foot one like the other two, he's definitely a handsome man. However just like his brothers, his eyes are odd even by my standards. The right eye is a nice spring time green, like that of freshly grown leaves or fresh grass after a long winter. But the iris is white, just like a scleroses naturally is and should be. However he does not look blind due to this. The pupil is slit like a reptile's and is ice blue that reminds me of winter skies.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Old Friends And First Real Mission**

"Hey," the one with the braid points out casually, "Is that who I think it is?"

"What?" The one with the windswept hair shakes his head back and forth unbelievingly, "Like hell it is. She hasn't been around up till now. Why would she be now?"

The one in the middle sighs, "Why don't we go ask her personally? We never know until we try". There is only one set of triplets that I know that have such fast paced conversations with one another whether one is listening or not...Then again, I only know one set of triplets.

"Saiai? Churitsu? Nikun? Is that you three?" I question as I make my way to their frames that tower over me by a good number of inches. I make my way towards them, meeting the middle triplet half way through the distance between us. "What happened to your eyes?"

"So it is our lovely little Cross!" Saiai speaks up, mismatched eyes widening in glee. I gasp as he suddenly rushes me, pulling me into a hug and holding me tight. "We've missed you, love," he whispers into my ear in a tone I've never heard him make. Love? What?

I'm released, only to be picked up by the one known as Nikun, his arms finding their way around my frame and picking up into a bear hug, laughter coolly coming from his throat, "We really did miss you. It's been too long. But that's okay, we'll wait forever if we have to". I'm so lost right now.

I find myself in a third hug, this one picking me up and spinning me around a few times before putting me down and hugging me tight. Churitsu releases me and sighs out, "I suppose we should answer the question you've already asked. And any of the others you have". As one, he and his brothers make the familiar sign for Kage Bushin no Jutsu. In a small burst of chakra, there are perfect copies of themselves standing, and they continue on their way to the Hokage tower. While the other three motion for me to follow them. I do so...sorta. With Nikun and Saiai on either of my sides and Churitsu behind me, we walk through the village in a triangle formation until we're in the very same training ground where I performed for my friends on my seventeenth birthday. It's not until then that they begin to talk again.

"As you know," Saiai takes the lead, "From when we slightly explained things to you before you left, we're from a clan that was made through the mating of a dragon and a human...Well...Humans. Thus making us part dragon. The blood's a little bit diluted, but not as much as you may think. None the less, we go by simple rules".

"Don't kill kin, even if they're enemies," Churitsu cuts in, "Do yourself and your family proud, whatever the cost. Finally, find a mate and assure their happiness even at the cost of your own, and even if it means throw away rules one and two. When a Tsu comes of marrying age- that is, eighteen years old- they begin to look for the man or woman that their heart pulls them towards the most. A Tsu's heart isn't like a human's. It doesn't stutter and flutter for anyone the mind makes them think they like. No. The heart of a Tsu already knows what it's looking for- who it's looking for really- and will only flutter for that person".

Nikun takes his turn, "When we met you eight years ago, our hearts started to flutter; we knew that you were the one we were meant to dedicate our lives to. When we asked you to marry us, we meant it. Now. When a Tsu finds their mate, a change happens in their bodies. We don't know why; no one save the dragons do. And even though they're our clan's summons, they won't tell us why. But then again we don't push. After all, they are kin and they have a right to their own secrets".

"Anyways," Saisai presses to Nikun, "The change is simple, and painful yet fast. Minor changes that make us more durable as to make us able to follow the third rule- the most important one. Skin becomes scales, but the scales are so fine we still look like we have normal skin- however it's hard as dragon scales. Bones become more dense and harder to break as well. Our eyes change, giving us slightly better sight and ability to see through genjutsu. But that's all the change does to us. So, that's what happened to our eyes. We found you, our mate, and we changed a bit".

I listen closely to what the boys- no, the men- have to say. And I blink dumbly. That's...That's weirder than what I've got going on. The mating of a human and a dragon summons. That's just...No. "So that's it?" I get three nods. "So what happens now? Do you propose to me again or...What?"

"We do everything in our power that will assure your happiness and your safety. If you don't choose us, fine. Just so long as you're happy and safe," Churitsu states simply.

"If you do decide to say yes to our proposal- which still stands of course, it always will- then not only will we be ecstatic, but we'll also do everything in our power to make you as mentioned," Nikun follows up.

"One more question," I offer. Damn, this clan stuff is way more complicated than the Uchihas made it seem. Or maybe it's just the Tsus that make it complicated? "How is it that all three of you are happy with the fact that the other two like me as well?".

There's silence and then, "We were meant to be born as one child while we were still in our mother's womb. Our name was going to be Kanzen. But for whatever reason, our embryo split into thirds, and we became triplets. She named us Saiai, Churitsu and Nikun as a result, our mother. We grew up doing everything together; it never bothered us. The only thing that bothered us was when we were mistaken for one another even when our eyes told someone which one of us was which. Therefore, of course we're not bothered by having to share you. We encourage it, in fact". Saiai is the one to explain all this, completely sure of himself in his words.

I only have one for all this: Damn. And then, "So let me get this straight. You lot are part dragon; in some weird way someone had sex with their own summons and was impregnated- or it was the other way around. For whatever reason, this caused you to be pulled to a single person that you're raised to believe that is meant to become your husband or wife- depending on what gender you are- from simply feeling your heart doing something? Not only that, but you have no issues with sharing even someone you apparently love?"

"That's right," the three answer as one, with timing and tone so perfect it sounds like a single person is talking. That's just weird.

I blink dumbly, "Well...I can't say I'm not just as weird," I don't tell them why, "So...Alrighty then". I shrug. "But I should probably get going. Kakashi's making dinner and I'm sure it's almost done by now. And I'm sure you guys want to go ahead and get home to see your family and have some food yourselves". That said, I turn to leave the place, when there are two hands on my shoulders, and Churitsu stands before me.

"We've been waiting for so long...Play for us?" Churitsu requests lightly tilting his head ever so slightly. "We're not here for very long; we'll be going on another mission come tomorrow. S-ranked".

My eyes widen. S-rank? Just the three of them? "Just the three of you?"

"No," Nikun and Saiai state from both my sides, "Itachi is coming too; he's the Captain. But it's still S-ranked and we'd like to hear you play".

Okay, that synchronized shit is still weird. "Itachi too?" I tilt my head. Just the four of them...On an S-ranked mission. I purse my lips before sighing, and pulling the scroll from one of my pouches. I always carry it around; it may come in handy. Blood is smeared onto the open scroll and soon enough before me is the piano I've always played. I sigh as I take a seat in the bench, and my fingers swiftly begin to dance over the keys of the instrument. I rock into each note that is made, eyes closed and a small smile on my face as I do so. I can't help but to hum along in a way that of course has no words. 'My World' has always been one of the few songs that I play due to the fact that I feel it's only meant for times like these. When someone- or someones- is going somewhere dangerous. I don't know the story in the song, but I don't mind to be honest. By the time I'm done, I stand, and I stop sustaining the fact that the piano is there.

"Beautiful," I hear one voice only to see three jaws moving.

I smile and take a playful bow, "Come back in one piece, okay?" I tell them.

Saiai sends me a playful salute as he nods, "Don't worry, we've got this. It's only a month long mission; nothing super long".

Churitsu nods once, "We'll pick up one another's slack. We always do".

Finally, Nikun gives a playful bow himself, "Just promise us that you'll play for us again when we come back, and nothing will stop us from surviving".

I roll my eyes. I'm not that good of a pianist. Honestly. I can't do fast paced songs or anything like that, just slow ones. "I promise," I tell him. The nod before each of them pulls a mask from their shuriken pouches; Saiai's cheetah, Churitsu's tiger, and Nikun's lion mask respectively. I watch as they take off and into the trees, and I continue to watch until they're completely out of sight- a good four or five miles away. It's not until then that I spread my wings and push off for flight. Good luck you three, Itachi. I'll see you in a month.

I sigh as I lean against the wall of the Hokage's office, bored beyond all reason. Why? Why am I bored beyond all reason? Because, I forgot just how tedious stupid 'missions' for Genin were. Walking dogs, pulling weeds, planting flowers, cleaning up trash, baby sitting, painting a house. All are called 'missions' that are simply chores that pay money and chores that no one else- not even those with such professions as a farmer or simple baby sitter- wants to take care of themselves. They're supposed to build the bond between team mates as well as help their over all life skills should they need them at some point. They're supposed to also help with learning team work. But you know what I've found out about this team that I'm apart of leading along with Kakashi? Naruto sucks at pulling weeds, too worried about beating Sasuke in just about everything to actually try to find out which are plants and which are not. Planting flowers is something he sees as digging a hole and putting as many plants in that one hole at the same time. Picking up trash? He doesn't get the fact that the bag will rip if you stuff it too full. He's horrid with kids, let's just leave it at that. Painting a house? More like painting himself and throwing globs of color at the house. Dog walking? He doesn't understand that a bigger dog means stronger, and that it will drag you around if you don't plant your feet or aren't strong enough. Of course, I can't blame him for being unable to do half the stuff Sasuke and Sakura could. Being a girl and the way she seems to have been raised, of course she knows which are plants and which aren't. Sasuke seems to understand his limitation even in the simplest of things, having gotten himself a more so medium sized dog while Sakura got herself an ankle biter.

But I'm not standing here bored out of my mind because Naruto can't do simple things such as walking dogs or pulling weeds. No no. I'm here because we're waiting for the Daimyo's wife to get here and pick up the little thing we've gone so far as to catch for her. The little thing being the scorn of all shinobi of Konoha, a creature whose ancestors gave trouble to even Sarutobi and his team. This little ball of furry scorn is none other than the cat Tora. She's in a cage now, but before then poor Naruto was the one to catch her and get his face torn up. And I was put in charge of bandaging him up. While I'm all good and fine with doing that, Sasuke has been in an oddly fowl mood ever since.

"No! I want a real mission!" A certain breaks me out of my thoughts. I guess Tora was already taken? "No walking dogs, or chasing cats, or pulling weeds! But a mission where we can save a princess or free a kingdom!" He knows too much about fairy tales.

Iruka, whom helps Hokage-sama with appointing Genin missions, glares at the blond obviously unhappy with such behavior, "Listen up! You lot are the lowest of the low, fresh out of the Academy, just beginners! If Hokage-sama wants to give you D-ranked missions for a year you grin and bear it. He decides what ranked missions you do. Not you!"

I raise a hand from my spot, "Actually...Kakashi and I are both Jonin so we can pretty much handle anything that goes wrong on a simple C-ranked mission". I just want something to do damn it!

"You're not helping!" Iruka shouts at me, seemingly still in rant mode. This is quickly exited as I glare at him through golden eyes, obviously and clearly not amused by him yelling at me. I hate being yelled at.

Hokage-sama speaks up from behind his desk, "I understand you're excited that you're not a shinobi, but you must understand that you're only just beginning your career. As a Genin, you are ranked the lowest Shinobi after graduating from the Academy. Therefore you get the lowest ranked missions. D-rank, to be more specific. While there are times where a Genin will be approved to do a C-ranked mission, those ranked missions are the lowest in that category. Missions are ranked by their pay grade as well as the level of danger that is predicted to occur during the time frame of that mission. D-ranked and low C-ranked missions go to Genin as mentioned. Chunin earn the ability to go on C-ranked and low B-ranked missions. Those that are Jonin, such as Kakashi and Cross, have the right to go on B-ranked missions and low to medium A-ranked missions. Finally Anbu who are the elite of the elite go on the hardest missions, high A-ranked and S-ranked".

"So, the other day I had miso ramen with a new kind of seasoning," Naruto explains to the other four of us as we huddle around him to listen, "So I figure that if the beef ramen has the new seasoning too, I'll try that next".

"Are you even listening to me?!" Hokage-sama grounds out, obviously slightly annoyed.

We turn our attention to the old man, wide eyed while Kakashi offers a sheepish eye smile and rubs the back of his head, "Sorry about that".

I blink and tilt my head to the old man, "Who knew ramen could be so interesting?" At Sarutobi's side, Iruka blanches and face palms. What? I'm serious.

A sigh from the old man is heard before he pulls a scroll from the pile to his right. He opens and reads it for a moment before handing Kakashi the scroll itself. "If you lot believe that you're ready for a C-ranked mission, very well". Much to Iruka's displeasure. "Your mission is to escort a bridge builder back to his home safely," this time Naruto's disappointed. He wanted to escort a princess. "Send him in!" As the door opens, our attention turns to the man in the doorway. "This is your client," Hiruzen introduces. "Tazuna-san, this team will be escorting you home and watching over you until you finish your bridge as requested".

The man is dressed like a normal civilian, with a sleeveless dark tunic and simple shorts on his frame, he's an older man. His beard is on the shorter side but fully grown out and gray to show his advanced age, as well as to match his graying hair. Over his shoulders is a white towel, and on his back is a traveling pack. His complexion is tanner than my or Kakashi's skin, but no where near as brown as Iruka's. In front of dark eyes is a pair of glasses, and in his hand is a sake bottle which he carries loosely. Someone came here at least a bit buzzed? Ugh. "What? This trio of scrappy brats?" He looks towards the kiddies, "They're barely old enough to walk! And what about that stupid short one with the dumb look on his face? I don't think I can trust him at all".

"Hahahaha!" Naruto laughs out unknowingly, "Who's the stupid short one?" It's now that he decides to look around, only to find that while he's shorter than Sakura, she's shorter than Sasuke, making him the shortest one out of the three of them, and over all. When he realizes this, he becomes enraged, and lunges for the old man. Luckily, Kakashi is there to save the day, "Let me go Kakashi-sensei! I'll tear him to shreds!"

"We don't attack the client, Naruto," Kakashi chastises simply, not at all amused by the boy.

"Like hell we don't! I'll show him short and stupid looking!" Naruto continues to fight.

I sigh, rubbing my temples lightly before walking to stand next to the boy, and I take the scruff of his orange jacket from Kakashi's hold, relieving him of the boy. "Naruto," I state just as calmly as Kakashi had, "Don't you want to make more money so you can have ramen to eat?"

This stops the boy, and he looks back to find me in Kakashi's place. He blinks dumbly before looking from me, to the old man, then to me, then to the old man. Me, old man, me, old man...Me. That's when he finally slumps into forced calmness. "I want money for ramen," he grumbles.

I smile to him, "That a boy".

"Wait," the old man speaks up as he leans against the door, "Is this woman coming with us too?" His eyes roam over my form just as any man without manners would. Still, I give him a nod all the same. A smile spreads across his face, "This could be an enjoyable trip. I'm Tazuna the bridge builder. I'll be putting my life in your lovely hands". He offers me a hand to shake, meeting my gaze almost flirtatiously.

A shiver runs down my spine. I hate when men do this. Still, I offer him a smile of my own and shake his hand firmly, "I'm Cross, a Jonin of Konoha".

"Jonin huh?" His eyes shamelessly roam, "With your body shape, I'm not surprised that you made it this far".

Is he implying that I got to where I am through looks? My golden eyes become dark and the hand still in his squeezes hard, "Yes," I tell him with a light lash of my tail, "I've worked very hard to get to this position," I squeeze again, and he flinches lightly. The look in his eyes shows me that he realizes that in his alcoholic stupor, he said the wrong thing to the wrong woman.

Kakashi now decides to speak up one more time, "Alright everyone. Meet at the gate tomorrow morning at seven. We'll head off to our destination then. Make sure you pack well, and eat breakfast before we leave".


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Things Begin To Get Interesting**

I sigh as I find myself perched at the top of the gate, on the top edge of the large doors that allow it to be open in the first place. I crouch there in waiting, having been asked by Kakashi to wait for the kiddies there. In turn, he'll be saying 'hello' to his friends on the KIA stone for me before he goes to get a hopefully sober Tazuna. I don't want a drunken old man hitting me again. It was both insulting and creepy. I'm back and dressed in my usual black dragon scale clothing, by the way. I watch as Sasuke is the first to make it to the meeting spot, pack on his back and hands shoved into his white shorts pockets. Sakura is next to show up of course, her strides nervous but her eyes willing to look 'cool' in front of her crush; pathetic girl. The final one to come along is of course Naruto, who apparently forgot to brush his teeth as he thought he'd be left behind if he was late. That's just not right Naruto. Still, with all of them gathered, I watch as they simply wait for those that have yet to come along. Unknown to them, that number is now down to two people.

"Sorry we're late you three!" Kakashi eye smiles to our students with a wave.

"YOU'RE LATE!" The loud duo shout to the silver haired man and the old man as one. Aaaaannnnd now I can see sound again. Thanks you two. I wiggle a finger in my ear, trying to make sure that it still works after that shout.

"Yes, well," Kakashi chuckles, "Let's get going shall we?"

While Naruto runs through the gates with a happy shout and explains to Sakura that this is his first time out of the village, Sasuke is slower to follow his team mates. It's only after Kakashi stops Naruto from killing Tazuna a second time, that the black haired boy of the group speaks up, "Where's Cross?"

Tazuna looks at him oddly before questioning, "Who?"

The boy glares in turn, "Cross. The woman from yesterday".

"Oh!" The old man jumps to attention before looking to Kakashi, "The brat is right. I thought the pretty woman was coming with us".

"She's been here since the beginning," Kakashi eye smiles to the lot of them before looking at my perch and calling out to me, "Ready to go Cross?"

I fall from my perch with more grace than is probably necessary, but no matter. I like to be a show off every now and then. I land with a light touch down from the help of my wings that work to help me do so. I grin to the lot of them, bearing harmless fangs, "I've been ready to go all day," I tell Kakashi. "Shall we go?" the scarecrow nods before we take to walking in a casual line. There's no reason to fall into formation; it's a low C-ranked mission, it's unlikely it'll be dangerous. Still, from right to left it's Tazuna, Kakashi, myself, Sasuke, and then finally Sakura. Naruto, the curious fox he is, is in the front of us all, walking ahead. He's obviously determined to show Tazuna that he's not worthless or weak.

It's silent for a little while until Sakura decides to speak up. "Say, Tazuna-san. You're from Nami no Kuni, right?"

"Yea," the old man gruffly answers, "What of it?"

Her attention comes to my silver haired friend and myself. "Kakashi-sensei, Cross-sensei, there are shinobi in those lands, right?" Wrong.

"No. There are no shinobi in Nami no Kuni. But in other countries, there are hidden villages. Each with their own cultures and formalities. They are where other shinobi reside".

"To the people of this continent," yes there's more than one, "The presence of shinobi symbolizes a place's strength. Military strength that is. Meaning that shinobi are soldiers that protect their home and help maintain the balance between other countries," I follow up. Hey, I know my stuff too you know.

Kakashi's turn, "The ninja villages are not controlled by any government; they're independent and have equal status. A small island like Nami no Kuni has natural protection thanks to the sea; there's no need for a hidden village or shinobi. There are five ancient lands that possess shinobi on this continent. And if you are either lucky or unlucky- it depends on the situation- you have a high possibility of meeting someone from each of the countries".

And now me. "These five lands are the lands of hi, mizu, kaminari, kaze and tsuchi. Each occupy vast territories, and together they're known as the five great shinobi nations. Hi no Kuni has Konohagakure. Mizu no Kuni has Kirigakure. Kaminari no Kuni has Kumogakure. Kaze no Kuni has Sunagakure. And finally, Tsuchi no Kuni has Iwagakure".

"Only the leaders of these hidden villages are permitted the name 'kage', meaning shadow. Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage and Tsuchikage. These are the leaders that rule over thousands of shinobi. Including you and I". Kakashi finishes off.

"Wow! Then Hokage-sama is someone really important!" Like you believe that, girlie. Naruto has an unimpressed look on his face.

"Hey! You two were just doubting him, weren't you?" Shakes of Sakura's and Naruto's head occur. His stern voice lets up as he places a hand on the girl's head. "At any rate, there are no ninja battles on a C-ranked mission".

"And we won't come upon any foreign ninja, then, right?"

The silver haired man chuckles, making me smile. I've always loved the sound of his laughter. Don't know why but I do. "Very unlikely". And then all is silent again for another half hour or so. That is until Miss Curious McCurious Pants decided to start asking me personal questions. Great. I mentally sigh as the question comes. It was gonna come along sooner or later, but I would have preferred it to be later. "Hey Cross-sensei...This has been on my mind ever since we became a team. I hope it's not too personal but...Why don't you have a last name?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kakashi stiffen up ever so slightly, and from the other corner of my eye I see Sasuke perking up a bit as though curious himself. "It's not too personal," it is, but I have a back up story. "I don't have a last name because I dropped it. When I was little, my village was attacked by Nukenin that thrived on simply killing the innocent, raping women and tearing children limb from limb. This wasn't long after the Third Shinobi War, just so you know. I came from a simple clan of winged people with large chakra reserves, but preferred not to become shinobi due to our love for simple lives. When my village was burned down, I was one of the last to be targeted. Seeing as I was one of the last survivors, and I was a stubborn little bitch, they decided to play with me, breaking my claws and ripping off my wings," why not add a bit of horror to it? That way she doesn't try to dig deeper. "I was lucky enough to be found by Kakashi whom was supposed to stay at my village for a break from a mission on that night. He killed the Nukenin- they weren't strong really, just strong enough to easily kill the average person so...Chunin- and took me to Konoha. There I became a shinobi and I progressed rather quickly. And so, here I am. Best friends with Kakashi here and one of two of your sensei-tachi".

By the time I'm looking at the pink haired girl, her eyes are brimmed with tears, "H-how old were you?"

I smile a fangless smile down at her kindly, "I was thirteen when Kakashi saved my life". The honest to god's truth right there. "I'm twenty one now, whether I look it or not. So that was eight long years ago; you were just four or five yourself back then".

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura looks to the silver haired man, his eye travels down to her curiously. "Thank you for saving Cross-sensei". Yes. Thank you Kakashi.

There's merely an eye smile to her before his gaze comes to me, "I'd do it again even if I didn't have to," he mutters, dark eye meeting my bright ones. Why did my heart just skip a beat at that?

For a little while longer, it's silent for maybe an hour or so, even as we pass a puddle that seems fresh despite the fact that it hasn't rained for days. My eyes lightly narrow, and I fall into a casual but more guarded way of walking; where as earlier I was completely relaxed. However it's not long- like two seconds- after we've all passed the puddle that those hidden in it strike. I force myself to do nothing save concentrate chakra in the necessary fashion as chains wrap around not only myself, but Kakashi as well, pinning our fronts together. It'd look passionate if it weren't for the fact that we're about to be ripped to shreds.

"What?!" Kakashi mutters, eye wide in surprise.

"Damn it!" We should be given awards for our awesome acting abilities. Our bodies are torn to shreds, and next thing I know is that I'm crouching on a branch above Kakashi's own.

SASUKE'S POV

To hear such a sad story from my angel is enough to make my heart reach out to her, and I barely keep myself from taking her hand and twining my fingers with her. I want to show her that I care. But...I don't know how. I curse the fact that I can't hunt down the Nukenin that had taken her family from her. But I do feel a grudging thankful feeling to Kakashi for saving her in the first place. I just wish it was me and not him that saved her. I mentally sigh. I was born during the wrong time, it seems. I should have been born during the Third Shinobi War.

The peacefulness went from me being able to calmly think about how I'll be showing Cross my power on this mission, to nothing but pure rage. Why? Because, there's a gasp and two voices of surprise as out of literally no where two chains wrap around Kakashi and Cross, bringing their fronts flush together. Take away the chains and it would look like they're holding each other romantically. That doesn't help the anger that boils into rage as Cross' beautiful body is ripped into nothingness with a, "Damn it!"

"Two piggies," one of the enemies growls out, rushing for myself and Naruto.

My black eyes narrow and a silent snarl curls on my lip as I quickly pin my opponent's claw glove to a near by tree before quickly smashing the chain that had taken Cross' life as though it were his throat. And then I really do go for his throat, pulling out a kunai and without a second thought pulling it through. I don't feel any remorse as I turn, not bothering to see the blood spill from his throat as I know it'll do. I watch as the other rush at Naruto and as he cowers, I push my body to beat the ninja to him. But not to protect him, seeing as I leap and land on his back, bringing him down with my momentum. My kunai finds a home I his skull, and I glare down at the body. That is until suddenly it turns into a puddle of water. "What?" I question, whipping my head in the direction of the first one I killed; there's a puddle in its place.

"Get behind me!" I hear Sakura demand from in front of the bridge builder. My eyes widen; I won't get there in time. Nothing of mine will. Am I going to end up like Kakashi said I would if I left friends behind? Suddenly, out of no where, there is an arm around each of the shinobi's necks, clothes lining them and spinning them into the ground. Is that..., "Kakashi-sensei, look out!" Kakashi? From behind him, two more shinobi that look exactly like the two I killed and the two Kakashi has pinned.

"I got it I got it!" A familiar voice that seems to have managed to sound both playful and calm at the same time coos from not too far away. Seconds later, I find my eyes wide and my heart thrumming heavily in my chest. Right behind Kakashi is none other than Cross herself, a vision of both death and casualness all in one. Having literally tackled the men from where ever she was, she crouches between the dead bodies with claws through their hearts. I can't help but be amazed; I didn't even see her approach them, let alone hear her save for her voice. My angel...Is a figure of death, beauty and power all in one. I've just realized just how perfect my angel is.

CROSS' POV

As I crouch between the two downed bodies, I can't help but grin. They may have only destroyed a log in the place of my body, but I did not appreciate being wrapped in chains. I don't being restricted that much. However, my grin falls and my once wagging tail slumps in disappointment. Why? Because, "Damn it, they're just mizu bushin". I pout as I stand to my full height and cross my arms under my bust, claws sheathing them by my command. "Why did you get the real guys?"

Kakashi looks from me to the men he's tying up by now, and then back to me with an eye smile, "Because when it comes to having my back in a real situation, you tend to go over board. We need these guys alive if we wanna find out why they decided it was a good idea to attack our employer. If we didn't need them alive, I wouldn't have moved first".

I sigh but feel a pair of eyes on my frame. Mine wander to the source only to lock with black relieved eyes. For a second I think I'm looking at Itachi, but it's really Sasuke I'm meeting gazes with. "Hey," I offer him a fangless smile and walk towards he and the others while Kakashi does some interrogating, "You three okay?"

"Are you okay?" Is Sasuke's turn of words.

"I'm fine. Both you and Sakura did rather well; good job the both of you" I grin now, "I'm a Jonin remember? Those guys are barely Chunin. Thanks for your concern though". My eyes now fall onto Naruto, and his bleeding hand. "Naruto...Sorry we didn't help you out earlier; we didn't know you were going to freeze up like that. You should probably flush the poison out of your your blood before something bad happens".

Naurto's blue eyes widen a good deal, "P-poison?!"

"Hey," Sasuke taunts, a smile spreading across his face mockingly, "You alright? You're not scared, are you, Scaredy Cat?"

I sigh "Naruto!" His attention comes to me, "Just reopen the wound to let new blood flow and that should do the job. However...For now don't move too much; since the poison is in your blood, if you move too much it'll spread. Now we have to see who...And what they want," it's now that my attention goes to Kakashi whom by now has the Demon Brothers tied to a tree securely. "Right, Kakashi?"

"That's correct," he nods out, his single eye lazily drifting to me before going back to the brothers. Naruto isn't too far from the tree they're tied to so he doesn't have to be carried or anything close to that in order to listen to what's going on. "These are Nukenin from Kirigakure known as the Demon Brothers. They specialize in relentless attack and continue to fight no matter the sacrifice".

"How did you know of our ambush?" One of the brothers questions from behind his mask. Is he stupid or something?

I sigh before coming to Kakashi's side and shaking my head while hanging one of my arms on his shoulder. "You guys are obvious," I inform, "A puddle on a day where it hasn't rained all, nor days prior? Come now. You underestimate our ability".

Tazuna looks to us with a sound of thought before questioning, "Then why did you let the Genin take care of things?"

"We could have taken them out right away," Kakashi tells the old man, "But then we wouldn't know who they were after, or what they wanted".

Tazuna doesn't seem to like what Kakashi is implying, and his voice becomes gruff and protective of himself, "What are you getting at exactly?"

"This: We didn't know if they were after us, fellow shinobi, or you: the master bridge builder. When you put in your request, you asked for standard protection. From robbers and the like, making it a C-ranked mission. However, what just happened indicates that this mission is beyond the expectations we had".

I can easily hear the quivering in Sakura's voice, and the look in her eyes is obviously uncertainty, "This is a B-ranked mission; it's way too dangerous for just Genin. Besides, Naruto has poison in him and if we take him back to the village he can be treated at the hospital".

"That's true," I turn, walking towards Naruto only to walk around him and wrap my arms around his shoulders and rest my chin on his head. "The poison in his blood stream seems to be more potent than the average stuff. He would be a liability once it started doing its job". What that job is, I don't know. I'm not a professional on stuff like this. I just know that it's poison and just how much there seems to be.

Suddenly the boy rips himself from my hold, and runs a bit away from us, "Why am I...Ugh...Why am I so useless? Why am I so...So different!? Well you know what? No more!" It's then that with a kunai he opens the wound, dabbing the blade into it and letting the blood flow as free as a river. "I won't lose to Sasuke! Upon this wound, I swear to never turn away or back down ever again," he looks to us, a serious grin on his face, "I'll protect you old man. Don't worry, I'll be fine".

Kakashi decides to ruin the 'cool' moment that the boy had managed to build up by bluntly stating, "Naruto...That was cool and all, but if you lose any more blood you're going to die". Annnnd insert freak out fest here.

"Alrighty," I sigh out, rolling my eyes at the sight of Naruto freaking out, asking Kakashi to help him, and complaining about being too young to die and what not. I turn to Tazuna before questioning, "Ready to tell us the truth?"

Dark eyes meet molten gold for a long silent moment before finally the man sighs and nods before moving under a random tree and sitting to lean on the bark. "Alright. You got me. The truth is...A C-ranked mission was all I could afford. I'm a master bridge builder on an island that is surrounded by water and that's imports and exports are all by ship. Over the past few years, our land has been ruled over by the tyrant known as Gato. Through his monetary power, he's put my home into poverty. So I and other men in my profession decided to build a bridge to the mainland. If we can do that, then the way we can trade will change drastically!" It's now that he slumps from his hopeful sitting position, body language obviously showing disappointment. "I only lied because I wanted to help my home. But that's okay. You guys go ahead and turn back to your village; I'll be fine on my own. I just hope that when my daughter and grandson hear that I've died trying to make their lives easier, that they don't mourn and lash out at any of you".

I sigh. Honestly I could leave the man behind, clear a path and then take him home.. It wouldn't be right to leave him to go home alone. However, this isn't just my mission. My eyes trail to my silver haired partner, "Well?"

Kakashi sighs, "It's not just up to me. We do have Genin who are a part of this mission too you know". As one, our attention goes to the three kiddies. "What do you three think?"

Sakura is the first to speak up, a tinge of fear in her tone, "This is a B-ranked; you said so yourself Kakashi-sensei. It's way out of our league! I think we should turn back. Surely we could work out something between the village and Tazuna-san, right?"

"No way!" Naruto motions with his arms in a large 'x', stance wide and firm. "I just made a vow that I would never turn or run away again! This man needs our help! We have to help him! Think of the good it would do for all of us!" Oh ho? Looks like we have a natural hero complex going on here. My eyes go to him, only to find black meeting gold. Was he looking at me this whole time? I didn't notice.

"We should go," are his simple words, making the vote two against one. However, Sakura is all for it upon hearing Sasuke's vote, and we're off once more.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter: Jigokuen No Taka Aoikassai**

"Got ya!" Naruto calls out as out of literally no where he throws a kunai at the bushes. However, when we find that it's nothing but a snow rabbit, he immediately begins to apologize to the out cold thing.

Sakura in the mean time has taken on the duty of scolding him, "What do you think you were doing Naruto?!"

My eyes narrow as I look at the snow rabbit. Snow rabbit...It's not the large zanbatou that's headed right for us that makes my eyes widen. But instead the rather large slab of earth. "Get the hell down!" I reach forward and grab Naruto and Sasuke, with Kakashi pulling down Sakura and Tazuna. While the zanbato imbeds itself in a tree behind us, the large slab of earth crashes against a different tree and almost uproots it just before crumbling to the ground.

"What's this? A bunch of brats protecting the old man? How is it that you lot beat the Demon Brothers?" The man on the zanbato demands.

Kakashi stands, dark eyed narrow, and I follow not too far from him. "Zabuza Momochi; the nukenin also known as Kirigakure no Kijiri," the silver haired man greets the dark haired bandaged man. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing of major importance. Just the life of that old man you've got there," the man answers in turn. "If you'll just step aside and let me take his life, that'd be fine. However I'll have to cut you down if you stand in my way".

"Master," a younger voice speaks up, a low tenor and of male gender. "What about my fight?"

Zabuza looks to the owner of the voice, causing the rest of us to do the same. He is around Kakashi's height, with black hair of different lengths and...Pink eyes. For the most part, his hair is slightly wind swept, and strands from the upper layer stick out here and there stubbornly, with it parted with most of the hair over all to the right side of his head. The back is shorter than the front, with frontal bangs being almost pectoral length and the back stopping where head and neck meet. There's a few strands the same length as his frontal bangs here and there, but they're nothing special. His complexion is pale, like Itachi's or Sasuke's. He wears all black, with a simple black sweater like sleeveless shirt under something of a vest that has a buckle at the bottom hem to close just the bottom, and no zipper; the collar of this thing is wide, but it's of normal height. On his hands are fingerless Anbu gloves, which with the help of elastic stay up on his upper arms. His pants are of the same make as any other shinobi's, as are his black sandals. "What? You actually find one of these guys interesting?"

"Yes master," slowly he lifts up a single arm, and from that arm points a single finger, "That woman, right there". He points at me, his smile one that's challenging and his tone a mocking lilt, "She looks like fun to play with. Can we fight?"

"You're gonna have to, if you want the old man," I tell the young man with a narrowing of my eyes, my tail making its way from around my waist and my wings furling extra close to my back. I don't use them unless needed; nor do I often fly when fighting.

"I'm afraid she's right," Kakashi nods out.

"Who are these guys anyways?!" Naruto speaks up loudly, not at all helping the tension that's only growing thicker by the moment. "Come on Kakashi-sensei! We can take this guy no problem!" Idiot.

"No, Naruto. You stay back with Sasuke and Sakura and protect Tazuna. This man is a nukenin," Kakashi answers, slowly lifting up his hitai-ate. Taking things seriously, are we Kakashi? "This one on the zanbatou is Zabuza Momochi, a former shinobi of the mist and known as the Demon Hidden in the Mist. He's known for his silent killing technique...I don't know the young man though".

I can see a smile spread across Zabuza's lips from under the bandages he keeps his face under, "He is an underling of mine: Guzen Henko". His changes subjects again, "Sharingan no Kakashi, the man famed to have copied over a thousand jutsus using that left eye. What an honor it'll be to fight against it".

Naruto's clueless voice is heard from again, "Shah-reen-gahn?" He sounds out. "What's that?"

Sasuke, of course, is the one to answer. Why shouldn't he? He's from the clan that holds such a dojutsu. "Sharingan is a rare dojutsu that only resides in certain people. Through these eyes the user can instantly see through and comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu or ninjutsu and reflect the attack back on the attacker. But there's still much more to it. So much more".

"That's right boy," Zabuza speaks in that growing voice of his, "But you've only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can study someone else's technique, and copy it to perfection". It's now that a familiar mist surrounds us, and my eyes narrow. Asshole, taking away even my vision. "As for you, Hatake, as Jonin of Kirigakure, we were given a standing order to take you down on sight. You were in our Bingo Book, calling you as I mentioned: 'Sharingan Kakashi'". And then his eyes trail to me, "It's lucky that you didn't come along during the war; it would have only made Konoha that more powerful. "'Jigokuen no Taka' or just 'Jigokuen Taka'. Cross. No last name, just that. You're famous for your fire and wind jutsus, as well as the combination of the two". He flatters me.

I grin, "I try," is all I can say with such a look on my face. A gust of wind blows, blowing everyone's hair to the side, though my blue hair is effected the most due to its length.

"Enough of this...I need to kill the old man. Now. Guzen, take care of Cross. Do not fail me". It's then that his zanbato is pulled from the tree and the fight begins.

"Kiddies! Maji position! Don't move and stay out of the fights!" I snap just as suddenly a hoard of rocks are sent my way. My eyes narrow as I back around and away from the stones. However as I'm forced to back up too close to the kids for my liking, I growl and decide to get in closer. Guzen grins widely as I come in at him, ducking under and around the stones left over from his Doruki Gaeshi. I go in for a kick to his face, seeing as with this jutsu you've gotta keep your hands planted on the ground or else it falls apart and commands don't work anymore. However, with a flexible body, he spins on those planted hands of his and bends his form away from my foot. I don't let go of my streak, swiftly unsheathing my claws and setting to lashing out at him from all around. He's a flexible young man, though.

"Oh! Almost! Nope! Sorry! Man, I thought you'd be faster!" Is the continuous taunt of his as he contorts his body in different ways to get away from my deadly claws. I growl as he flips away and dig into my shuriken pouch before throwing a few at him, each of them moving at a remarkable pace. He dodges, and but grunts as one of the shuriken cuts his cheek. With a skid to as stop, he brings a finger to his cheek to show that the throwing star is a lot sharper than it looks. "Wind chakra?"

"No," I snap out as I rush at him, my legs pushing me as needed. "They're just simply sharp," I tell him with a grunt of my own. We fall into another bout of taijutsu, with this statement. Dodge dodge, swipe, duck, snap at the hand that reaches for my jaw, kick for his ribs and then down to his collar bone. We scrabble like starved dogs do over something as simple as a meal.

KAKASHI'S POV

I watch lethargically as Naruto and Tazuna work to get me to my feet. I've only just finished beating down Zabuza, and explaining to my students just what a hunter ninja is. But even so Cross is fighting her adversary. I sigh from being slung around Tazuna's shoulders.

"Kakashi-sensei, why's it taking Cross-sensei so long to take down someone who looked weaker than that Zabuza guy that was just killed?" Naruto questions from my side.

"Well," I sigh again, slowly lifting my eye and hazily looking the woman's way. The path that was behind us is gouged up, showing where her claws have taken to the earth. "She's...How should I put it...?...She's...Sadistic. Let's go with that".

"Huh?" Ugh. The boy is too slow for his own good half the time.

Sakura thankfully is smart, "It basically means that she likes to play with her opponent, Naruto. She likes to make them think that they're winning before crushing them," she shivers, "Or, she could simply slowly beat them down. It could go either way".

"In this case," Sasuke speaks up, his dark orbs never leaving the fight- or should I say Cross?- voice as droning as it tends to do, "It's the first one. She's a Jonin and she's strong; there's no way that guy has the chance of taking her down".

"Very good you too," I slowly say. Damn, it's even work for me to talk. "Cross!" I call out once she's taken a hold of Guzen's arm and flung him into a tree. Sadistic indeed. "Finish things up! We need to get going!"

"No fun!" She calls back with a sigh, her tail lashing back and forth. But still I can hear consent in her voice. "I'll use a finishing blow!"

I grunt, "We'd best back up a bit. You three are in for a treat; you're going to see just why Zabuza called her 'Jigokuen no Taka'".

CROSS' POV

"Sorry kiddo," I grin out to the boy, "I think it's time for you to stop for now. Go back to your master, will you?" I grin as I say this, golden orbs narrowing. I'll use my weakest combination, which will keep him alive. I'd love to kill him but the kiddies are here. And while they're gonna see death eventually, I don't want them seeing it too early. This'll just burn him pretty damn good.

"Like hell," Guzen snaps out, panting as he picks himself up from where I threw him. "I can't fail my master!" He sounds like a caged dog. I hate caged dogs. Being a free bird is all what it's about. His hands begin to weave through hand signs.

I don't bother to sheathe my claws as that would take more time. Therefore as we race against one another I grin in my spot. "Aoikassai: Okina Hi Taiho!" There's a deep breath from my lungs, from which a rather impressive ball of almost blue fire rushes at Guzen at an impressive speed. You could say that it looks like an over grown Gokyaku no Jutsu, however it's not made from fire natured chakra nor is it made from one jutsu. To see whether or not I hit the target, my wings take me up to the air, beating against gravity. I watch as just at the last minute, a large earthen wall collides with my beloved Okina Hi Taiho, only to break under the pressure of the jutsu. However when the fire dies away, there is no sight of Guzen; he's gotten himself away from me. I sigh and land, flying the short distance between myself and the others before actually landing as mentioned. "Well," I tell them after brushing back a few of my blue hair, "That was fun". The kiddies seem to be utterly amazed, as their eyes are stuck on the spot of scorched earth where Guzen's wall met my fire. I don't see why they would be...But then again I'm used to sights like that. They're not.

"You...You," Sakura starts, "...That was...".

"Amazing!" Naruto throws his arms into the air, blue eyes wide. Why is he beaten up? Did Kakashi fall on the job or something? "I didn't see all of it but when you threw that guy and then you were like 'Aoi-or-whatever'," it's 'Aoikassai', kiddo, "And then a giant fire ball came from you! And then," he makes an explosion sound, "The fire just destroyed everything!" He's too amazed for his own good.

Sakura takes this moment of silence to question with wide green eyes, "Just...What was that, Cross-sensei?"

"That wasn't a fire jutsu I've ever seen," Sasuke pushes, dark eyes obviously showing his interest.

I rub the back of my head with a sigh. Though before I answer them, I blink and look to Kakashi. He's really warn down. "You over did it again, didn't you?" I scold lightly to the tall man.

Kakashi sighs and tiredly meets my gaze, his dark eye hazed over and his hitai-ate sloppily placed over his Sharingan, "Unlike you I didn't fool around. I did what I had to do, and efficiently".

I roll my eyes, "Just because I like to play doesn't mean I'm not efficient," that doesn't make sense. Still I step forward. As my claws sheathe themselves, my other hand reaches back to pull my braid over my right shoulder. "Here, Tazuna, I'll take him".

The old man raises a brow, "I know you're strong, but can you carry dead weight?"

I grin to him, bearing playful fangs as my tail wags once or twice before finally wrapping around my waist. I think I'll put some poison in that boy next time. I don't think I've really stuck around to see the effects of the poison in my tail, but I figure that it's bad. "I'll be fine. My hips will bear most of his weight. I just need help getting him properly between my wings". That said, I turn around and show him my open back. Seeing as he's bigger than the gap between my wings, I have to unfurl them a bit lest holding him be uncomfortable and bad for my wings' joints. But he's not that big, so therefore as said it's only a bit. Once his arms are slung over my shoulders and his legs are around my hips, I bounce him on my back with my arms under his legs once just to get a better hold. I'm lucky he's not that much bigger than myself. His chin rests over my left shoulder opposite from my braid. Once he's situated I take the lead, "Let's get going you four. Tazuna, how far is your home?"

The old man looks at me with surprised eyes as I hold Kakashi as though I were someone his size. In other words with not much care. I've trained a lot to up my strength when compared to a man of Kakashi's stature. I'm still not as strong as he in brute strength, but I still am stronger than most. "It's not far from here. Follow me".

"Will do," I tell him. "Sakura, when we get there I want you to take a look at the lay of the land; if Tazuna will be so kind as to give you a tour. Sasuke, Naruto, both of you are scuffed up like Kakashi is, so I expect you two to stay at the house with me so that I can patch the three of you up".

"But we're fine Cross-sensei!" Naruto waves his arms this way and that. I see Sasuke nodding his head in reluctant agreement.

"Bull shit," I tell the two casually. "I'm not called Jigokuen no Taka just because of my jutsus you know. It's also because of my eyes. These golden eyes of mine, these eyes like that of a hawk's or a falcon's, can see miles upon miles in front of me as clear as day. And while they cannot see through genjutsu or copy jutsu or anything a dojutsu can do, anywhere I look, these eyes don't miss. Darkness or night time is not an issue for me either. Simple as that". I pause before looking to my right from the corner of my eye, "Sasuke, you have blood on your lips. Naruto: your clothing is a bit torn up. You two have been fighting against someone; a foe. Therefore you stay and get patched up. Sensei's orders".

Naruto groans, "Yes Cross-sensei". Atta boy.

It takes little to no time at all for us to get to Tazuna's place, and after he's had a happy but short reunion with his daughter, as well as an explanation from him to her about us, he leaves with Sakura so that she can report to me what this place is really like. In the mean time, Tsunami- Tazuna's daughter- leads us to one of two spare rooms they have With thanks to the woman both for the rooms as well as the first aid kit, and help from the boys, I place Kakashi down onto the bed and cover him up. I'm seeing no blood on him other than on his hand.

"Alright Kakashi. You first," I tell his tired frame as I sit on the edge of the bed. I look to the boys after taking the first aid kit from Naruto with a nod as thanks. "Find a spot to sit, boys, I'll be with you in a second". That said, I tug Kakashi's arm out from under the covers, and then pull off the fingerless glove to show a calloused hand with a few pale scars here and there. I look over the hand that had come in contact with something rather sharp. "What'd you do to yourself, Kakashi?" I question his dazed form.

"Blocked a windmill shuriken," he tells me sleepily, dark eye hazily focused on me and my actions. While I'm not acting like he's a piece of rice paper, I'm also not just pouring the rubbing alcohol into the wound- even after a while you get used to it being used on you.

I raise a single brow, not even bothering to ask where the hell he got a windmill shuriken when he doesn't even own one. Hell I don't own one. Besides, this is Kakashi we're talking about. And while he's not as unpredictable as Naruto, but it's not unheard of for him to suddenly produce something random out of no where. "I see. Well...I'm not a medical shinobi but I'm pretty sure you'll survive". I tell him. "Get some sleep; I'll find you a pair of walking apparatus and make sure the kids are fine while you're resting". I look out the window. It's getting dark; Tazuna and Sakura should be back soon.

"Thank you, Cross," is a tired thanks from the even more tired man. I'm gonna have to take my other two patients to the other room. And so I just nod and stand before motioning for the boys to follow with one hand while the other carries the kit.

Once in the other room, I look the two boys over..."Alright. Who wants to go first?" I question.

Naruto raises his hand, "I'll go first. That way I can go exploring!"

I can't help but offer the boy a smile, "You can go as far as the tree line, mister. We're still on a mission for one. Two, It's almost seven o' clock. According to Tsunami we'll be having dinner by then. You don't wanna miss a hot meal, do you?" I get a rapid shaking of the head, "Well there you go". My eyes travel to the Uchiha, "Sasuke, I'm gonna ask Naruto to take off his jacket and shirt. You okay with that?"

Sasuke is silent for a moment before turning in his stationary spot, hands buried in his pockets, "Yes".

I nod before letting Naruto do as I mentioned. With a light blush and slightly shaky hands, obviously a bit shy about getting half naked in front of a woman, he unzips his jacket and tosses that onto the floor before the shirt joins it. I can't help but notice that he's a lot better built for a kid his age than I expected him to be. While he's not built like Zabuza obviously was or as much as I figure Kakashi to be, he's definitely got a good start to him. Baby fat is already half way gone by the looks of things, and my sharp eyes can see the makings of a toned four pack going on. If he keeps this up, the kid's gonna be a real looker when he's older. None the less, I inch my way closer to him and purse my lips as my eyes roam his tanned skin. "Hmmm," I intone.

"W-what? Is there something wrong?" The boy questions, voice shaky.

I smile as my eyes continue to roam before I my hands are on his shoulders and I'm turning him around to get a look at his back. "No, nothing wrong. In fact I have to say I'm impressed, Naruto. You're gonna be one hell of a looker when you're older if you keep as hard working as you are now".

"R-really?!" He looks over his shoulder with an innocent blush. As I nod up to him, he beams down at me, "That's awesome!"

His enthusiasm makes me chuckle before I stand to my feet. "You're good to go. Looks like your clothing took the brunt of the damage, lucky you, and the scrapes on your face and hands will be gone in no time". My guess is that the fox deemed them unworthy of his healing. Which I don't blame him. They're just scrapes. "Why don't you go see if Tsunami is done with making food and if Sakura and Tazuna are back?" The boy nods as he gathers up his torso clothing and jogs out of the room happy as a clam. My eyes fall onto the Uchiha boy. "Alright Sasuke, shirt off".

He turns to look at me, eyes dead and emotionless as per usual. "I'm fine," he tells me bluntly.

I sigh. What's up with guys and being unable to admit that they're hurt even a little bit? Naruto does it. Sasuke does it. The Tsu brothers do it. Hell, even Kakashi and Itachi do it unless it's visible that they're hurt. I stand to look down at him, hands on my hips. "Listen. Either you can take off your shirt, or I can tear it off of you".

SASUKE'S POV

I've never heard such casual words sound so alluring before. I gulp from where I stand and meet those beautiful golden orbs of her. Comply? Don't comply and get her to touch you more? I stare at her for a second before my eyes narrow and I scoff. I choose the second one. I want to feel my angel's feather light touch again.

"I said I'm fine, Cross".

CROSS' POV

Fine. He wants to play it that way? I can play it that way. I sigh before placing a hand on his shoulder as I stand behind him. I watch as his eyes move to my hand. Before he knows it, my foot is sweeping under his, and he's falling. With a single unsheathed claw I cut the fabric as he's falling, and then I sheathe the claw again and toss the shirt to the side. "I hope you packed clothing along with shinobi gear or else you're going around shirtless for the rest of the mission". I say this as I look down at Sasuke's literally floored form. He looks at me with wide and surprised eyes. But grunts as he gets up. Or, he would be getting up if it weren't for the fact that I'm now kneeling again and am making him lay down on his back by pressing on his chest gingerly. Why so gentle? Because there's a circular bright blue and purple and black bruise forming on his gut. It's too small to be Zabuza's fist or knee. Leaving it to bee his elbow. Gently I place my hand on the bruise. "Damn". I feel around the tissue as gently as I can, stopping and looking at him every time he twitches or his skin quivers under my own touch. "You're lucky he was just playing with you. The internal bleeding- other than the bruise- is very minor it seems. I don't feel any broken bones. This is your only wound?" I get a nod. "Then you're good to go". I stand from my spot, "Get a shirt on and if dinner is ready tell Tsunami I'll be down momentarily. I'm gonna go make sure that Kakashi is sleeping". That said, I open up the door and offer the boy a light smile before doing as I said I would. Upon entering the other room, I find an actually sleeping Kakashi. I can't help but smile at the sight. Why? I don't know. Probably because the man worked so hard. I sit on the edge of his bed, and lean over to remove his hitai-ate, showing me two closed eyes and silver hair now slightly less gravity defying- but only barely. I feel his forehead for a fever, as I've seen his Sharingan do that to him. Finding he has none, I pull my hand. Or, at least I was going to.

As I pull my hand away, his bandaged one suddenly lashes out and wraps around said hand. However the hold isn't painful. Nor is it a conscience movement as I still see a sleeping frame. When I try to pull my hand from his hold, it tightens. "No," he utters. There's a long pause and then, "Cross". My eyes widen. He's dreaming of me? How sweet; I smile lightly to his sleeping face. I don't bother to fight his hold on my hand, and settle for sitting there for the rest of the night, skipping dinner, and simply watching him sleep. When I get tired, I end up using his chest for a pillow. Hopefully he won't mind


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Look Sensei! No Hands!**

The next morning finds me in the forest with the kiddies. No Kakashi today, I made him rest whether he wanted to or not. However he only said he would if I took over the tree walking exercise he was going to teach the lot of them. So, here I am, bright and early, looking at my three students. "Alright kiddies. Seeing as we have absolutely nothing to do due to the face that Tazuna doesn't go back to work till tomorrow...I'm gonna teach you stuff. Kakashi is off resting; using that special eye of his really drains him. Any questions?" Silence. "Good. Now...Can anyone tell me what chakra is?"

"Cat-er-ah? Isn't that the stuff we use to make cool jutsus?" Naruto intones cluelessly. Poor boy.

But, I'm patient. Wouldn't be if it weren't him but that's a different story. "...Well...Yes...But...It's more complicated than that," I tel him, blinking dumbly from his rather unknowledgeable answer. "Sakura," my eyes drift to the smart pink haired girl, "What's chakra?"

"Chakra is the natural combination of one's physical energy and their spiritual energy. Everyone has at least a little bit, and if we run out we're pretty much dead or are dying," the girl tells me without a flaw.

I nod. "Very good," I smile and she beams. "I won't go any further into that lest your minds explode and we get side tracked," I tell them. "Today we'll be working on not only building up your reserves, but also your endurance and you efficiency with chakra use".

"Reserves?" Naruto questions in that loud voice of his, "What reserves?"

"Your chakra reserves, idiot," Sasuke mutters with a roll of his eyes. Naruto turns to yell at the boy, however I clear my throat expectantly.

"Shut it the both of you," I snap, brows furrowed into a glare. They fall silent, and I continue. "Yes, Naruto, reserves. Your chakra reserves rather. Think of there being a pool of energy within you. And in that pool, there's only so much chakra to use. Now, that's not to say that once you run out, you're out forever. No no. Attached to this pool is something of a...stream, that trickles chakra back into the pool once you've started resting or stopped using your chakra for jutsus and the like. If you wait long enough, the pool will refill itself. The amount of time it takes for a person's chakra pool to refill itself is different for just about everyone. Just like everyone has a different sized pool". I stop to make sure they're listening, and then I stop at that. "Now like I said, we're gonna be working on your chakra efficiency and building up your reserves a bit," not that Naruto or Sasuke need the latter, but Naruto needs the former and Sakura needs the latter...Sasuke is close to in the same boat as Naruto. "...By climbing trees". And that's when I get dumbfounded looks from all three of them.

"Wait...By climbing...Trees," Sasuke bluntly tries to reconfirm.

I grin, "Yup!"

Sakura raises her hand as though in class. Silly girl, I'm not a school teacher. "But Cross-sensei, we already know how to climb trees. Naruto does it all the time!"

I waggle my finger at her, making tsking sounds with each wag, "Not climbing trees with both your hands and your feet...Just your feet". I tell her. I pull out a shuriken and throw it to a spot where they'll still see me even as I climb. After gathering chakra to my feet, I casually stride to the tree and like a pro make my way up the bark. I can hear gasps of surprise and amazement. "While being able to stick to vertical surfaces like trees and walls isn't essential to being a ninja, if you can't do it you're at a huge disadvantage and you might as well as call it quits. That's how often it's used".I make it to my shuriken and place it back in the right pouch on my hip. I walk up to a branch and promptly let myself hang upside down, my gravity being the only thing that works its magic on my braid. "Take out a kunai, the three of you," tell them, and they're do as they're told. "Now, the key to this is focusing and maintaining your chakra in your feet. Once you think you've got a steady flow, go up the tree- for you guys a running start would be best. When you start to fall, make sure you mark the tree with that knife, and then work to make it passed that line".

Once I've said this, I swing myself up and sit on the branch I was hanging on, leaning against the tree itself and crossing my arms under my chest for relaxation. I smile at the sight of Sasuke and Naruto being the opposites of one another like they usually are. Naruto uses too little chakra, while Sasuke's flow is too much. Thus making them slip down and be repelled respectively. Sakura in the mean time...

"Hey! This isn't too hard after all!" She beams down to the boys from a branch lower than my own. She swings her legs with a giggle, her hands keeping her from falling.

I laugh lightly, "Good job Sakura! Now just try to make it higher," I tell her lightly. Then my eyes fall onto the two boys looking up at her, "Looks like the Uchiha clan has one less genius among them, eh Sasuke? I wonder how you're gonna attract the right woman if you can't so much as walk up a tree?" I tap my chin ponderingly. I wonder how Itachi take this news. Probably by saying something about it being a good thing that Sasuke isn't a genius like him and that growing at a normal rate is also good. My I watch as he glares at the ground with clenched hands. Oh ho? Determination is set in his eyes. Now to just give him someone to work against. My eyes fall to Naruto, "And what about you, mister future Hokage? You're not even close enough to being a candidate if you can't do the simplest of things".

"Ahhh no!" Naruto scrubs at his head with wide eyes, "You're right Cross-sensei! I can't let that happen though!" And so he sets to work again. There we go!

It's after fifteen minutes that I decide to leave, telling the kiddies that they know what to do and that once they're too tired to do anything to either rest and let their chakra replenish or simply come back to the house. I tell them, also, not to over do it however. As I walk into the house, I raise a brow as a little black haired boy suddenly finishes running around the corner of the hallway I step into. After pulling off my black kunai heeled shinobi sandals, I journey my way up the steps, minutely wondering where the hell the kid came from unless I'm going insane. I walk into Kakashi's room to find him slowly trying to get out of bed.

"What do you think you're doing?" I raise a brow and cross my arms.

Kakashi stops what he's doing and gives me a wary eye smile, "I just wanted a drink is all," Kakashi states. I can see the lie in his visible facial features.

"Yea okay," I roll my eyes. "There's a cup full of water on your nightstand; I think Tsunami might have brought it in". Next.

"Oh!" The silver haired Jonin jumps lightly. "Well...You see...I need a shower; I'm sweaty and dirty from the fight from before".

"That can wait," I tell him. "You can stand a little grime while you work on healing. But if you're so insistent," I look to the side with a light blush, "I'll help you bathe".

I see his eye open up wide and his body becomes more stiff than before. He doesn't look at me and I barely catch the words of, "Wouldn't that be nice?" From his mouth. But I don't respond to that. He looks to me before sighing, "I just wanted to check on our students. How are they?"

I offer him a smile as he comes clean, before walking forward and placing a hand on his chest only to push him back into bed again. Though this time he's sitting up, propped up by pillows and the like. "Sakura got it down after a little bit. Sasuke and Naruto are going to take a while longer I expect," I inform, "They're duking it out through their training".

"I see...," Kakashi nods once, "They're like...Obito and myself". This makes me raise a brow as I sit on the edge of his bed. He once showed me of the Uchiha, Obito, one of the people we go see every morning when we're home. "I was in the role of Sasuke...Obito had Naruto's luck of not being the most gifted out there...We didn't always get along but we were friends. I just hope history doesn't repeat itself".

I raise a brow, "As in Sasuke becoming a Jonin at a rapid rate, him leading Sakura and Naruto on a mission without us, him and Naruto getting in a fight, Sakura getting caught by the enemy, Naruto and Sasuke saving her, the area around them collapsing, Sasuke getting crushed and giving Naruto- who lost the use of his left eye some how- his awakened Sharingan eye...The Kyubbi attacking the village and you and I sacrificing ourselves to stop him- you as Hokage- and ultimately protect our child?" The last part makes my mind wander for the little bit of silence I leave after all that. Kakashi and I getting married and having kids? That's, I blush, that's a bit far fetched...Right? That's like saying Itachi and I would start a family...That doesn't help my blush at all.

Kakashi too is silent for a moment, staring at me with a weird look in his eye as he does so. What? Isn't it normal to blush a bit at the thought of having sex with either of your best friends? I think it is. "...I was thinking more so along the lines of something simply going wrong".

I blink dumbly, "...Oh. Well...If you think of things like that, then they're sure to happen," I tell him with a light pout, "Stop having dark thoughts, idiot". I gently push his shoulder playfully. Now to get the thoughts of a naked- let alone shirtless- Kakashi out of my head. What about Itachi...? Dear god damn it why did I think of that?! How is my face not bright red?! Wait...Kakashi and Itachi shirtless together...After going swimming...Okay now I'm just torturing myself. Not cool me. Not. Cool. At all. I shake my head back and forth before deciding to change the subject. "So...I'm pretty sure you've been thinking along these lines too but...I don't think Zabuza's dead like you say he is".

Kakshi nods his head once, "You're right. I don't think he's dead; I think his death was staged in order to save him from his actual death. What made you think the same?"

I run a hand along my braid- I need a shower- and pout. "Guzen got away from me. A guy that likes to mock and taunt and what not like that...Yea no he's not gonna run away for no reason. And if he did, it'd be while he was half dead". I would know, I've dealt with guys like him before dozens of times.

"What do you suggest we do?" Kakashi questions with a sluggish tilt of his head.

"...Either we find the hide out and strike before they can or...We wait until they attack again; which is surely to be before the bridge is done," I tell him with a thinking tap of my chin.

Kakashi nods once, "I was thinking along the same lines". He sighs, "Are we sure we don't have to call for back up? Zabuza was enough to give me a challenge, and you had your hands full with Guzen. What if a third party enters the fray? We can't protect our Genin if that happens".

I sigh back to him, "Stop being so scared. They are green horns, yes, but it's time that they start growing up. What's gonna happen when they eventually enter the Chunin Exams, huh? They'll have to fight and even kill if they want to survive; they won't know how to do that if you're playing 'over protective parent' with them". There's a look of dead guilt in his eyes, his head bowed, and I sigh before reaching forward and placing a hand on his masked face. That single eye looks up to me, while the other one- seeing as he's still not wearing his hitai-ate- remains closed. I offer him a smile, "You have to balance out the worry for them; believe that they're strong but not invincible. Know they are weak but not powerless".

"How do you know what to do?" He questions, shoulders slumped in his current lostness.

I offer him a fangless smile, "I just...Do. My instincts tell me I'm right or wrong all the time; they've never let me down. They tell me to think the way I do about our students, and nothing more nor less. You should listen to my instincts about this too".

A sigh comes through his nose, and I see his lips turn into a smile from under his mask, "What would I do without you?" He places his bandaged hand over my own, pressing it closer to his cheek and letting me feel warm skin.

Now I grin, fangs and all, "You'd roll up into a tiny ball of woe and shrivel up and die with worrisome thoughts in your head," I tell him playfully. I hear him scoff and I was going to answer if it weren't for the fact that there's the sound of light giggles.

We look at the source finding it to be Tsunami standing in the door way, "Ah," she greets, "I'm sorry, Cross-san. I just thought I'd bring Kakashi-san some food to eat; I would have brought something for you if I'd known you were back". She walks forward and gently places the standing tray on the nightstand next to the glass of water that had been placed there at some point.

"Don't worry about it," I assure her, "I'll come down and get something to eat in time".

"Very well then. Oh! Your student Sakura-san has returned. She asked me to tell you that Saskue and Naruto are still training; she came back as she became rather tired and hungry".

Kakashi nods as I finally take my hand from his face, "That was a smart move on her part".

Tsunami nods before a brighter smile spreads across her face. "If I may...When did you two start dating? You look awfully happy together".

I don't know about Kakashi, but the sudden question has me slipping off the edge of the bed and onto the floor with the least graceful crash I've ever felt in my life. And I've had a lot of ungraceful falls, trust me. What the hell?! "D-dating?!" I stutter out, placing a shaky hand on the bed. I've never thought of dating let alone kissing Kakashi. However for whatever reason, when Tsunami brought up such a possibility, my heart decided to go into over drive and I can't breathe right. Him and I? A thing?

Kakashi laughs it off, being the pro he apparently is at correcting things like this, "We're just old friends, nothing more, Tsunami-san".

Now it's her turn to be embarrassed as her hand flies up to her mouth, "Oh! I-I'm so sorry for assuming! I-It's just that you two are so close it seems and-" she cuts herself off, face a flushed pink.

Again Kakashi chuckles. It's not that funny is it? He acts like it was a joke or something. Come on! I'm not bad looking so why laugh so much? "We've been friends for a good eight years now," he tells her, "It's an honest mistake. We understand". The woman nods before politely excusing herself with a tinge of embarrassment still in her voice, and Kakashi finds me glaring at me as I finally pull myself onto his bed again. "What?"

"You made it sound like some sort of joke," I pout out, "You didn't have to laugh so much".

Kakashi tilts his head, "Did I really make it sound like such a bad thing? I'm sorry, I just wanted to get the point across," he offers me one of his famous eye smiles.

"Yes you did!" I pout, brows furrowed. "You made it sound like a joke. What? Am I not good enough for you to be at least embarrassed like I was?"

Kakashi blinks, "Well, no...That's not it," he tells me simply. "It's just that the chances of us being a couple are small".

"Idiot," I scoff, "How could you know if they're small or not if you haven't even tried to ask me? Geeze. And to think that while there are triplets who have no problem simply walking up to me and proposing, yet don't have your fighting skill, you are the opposite". Idiot.

Kakashi is silent for a moment before eye smiling, "Really? I've never seen myself like that. But...If that's how things are going to be then I better not miss my chance, huh?" Is he seriously considering my point? I just threw that out there because I felt a little insulted by him. He stops his eye smiling before opening both eyes- you heard me, both- to meet my own. "Cross...Will you go on a date with me?"

I blink at him silently for one...two...three moments before suddenly my eyes are widen and my face is becoming rather warm. Next thing I know, I'm floored again- literally. Seriously, I'm oh so gracefully flopped on the floor with a pained ass. "I-...I'm sorry?" I whimper out with wide eyes. What'd he just ask?

"Will you go on a date with me?" The silver haired man questions again, just as simply as last time. "I figure dating right away is asking a bit much. So why don't we go on a date first?"

Slowly I pick myself up and stand now on legs that feel like lead. "I-...I uh...," I blink twice before closing my eyes and sighing. Come now me! Why the hell are you freaking out like some sort of school girl! God, don't be like Sakura or some loser who doesn't know how to answer questions! My eyes open to meet his mix matched ones, and I offer a smile and a nod, "Sure Kakashi. I'd love to go on a date with you".

This makes him smile his usual smile and nod, "Excellent".

That night I go down for dinner with Kakashi, helping him down the stairs with his crutches, and have dinner. It's more dramatic than most dinners I've had. Seeing as there's a whinny child complaining about how he lost everything on the day of his father's death. The man was his hero, and that said hero went and died on him, taking his hope with him. Before such an explanation, Naruto had exploded with emotion on the boy, telling him that he hasn't had such a hard life, and went so far as to storm out of the house angrily, blue eyes like a raging cold fire.

And now I find myself crouching on a branch above Naruto as he punches a tree to the point of his growing hands bleeding. I sigh. If I don't stop him now, he'll fuck up his hands or something. That said, I leap down from my perch and land with a soft tap, not even using my wings to lighten the landing. Just as silently, I walk forward, and reach around him in order to catch his currently flying fist.

"What are you doing Cross-sensei!? I need this so that I don't end up hurting that kid!" Naruto snaps, his hand wiggling in my hold angrily, his other hand pushing against said hold to become free. His teeth are gnashed together in a human snarl, blue eyes still alight with fire.

I sigh, before tightening my hold and forcing him to turn and face me. His free hand now comes at my face, however it's caught and held firmly. "I know you're angry, Naruto, angry at the boy. Angry because he doesn't understand the pain you've had to live through. At least he had parents, right?"

Naruto glares up at me, vainly pulling still, "Duh! What do you know though, Cross-sensei?! You're just like any other prodigy, right? Strong parents, a happy family. You said that your clan was strong even though they weren't shinobi! You still know happiness!"

I sigh. He's not going to calm down until he can punch the anger into something else, or simply thrash and lash and yell at someone with an open ear...Maybe he'll calm down if he knows someone understands? "Naruto...If you'll calm down, I'll tell you how I do understand you. I understand you better than you could even imagine. Stop thrashing before I'm forced to hurt you". The boy continues and I grow weary of his stubbornness. "I said, 'stop'," this I say as I squeeze his hands, popping his knuckles and causing the bones to grind against one another. He stops with a yelp of pain. "There. Now...Let's...Sit". I promptly take to sitting my ass on dry grass, pulling him down with me. "Now...If I let go, will you let me explain?" He's silent, but he reluctantly nods, and I release him. He doesn't move. Instead those blue eyes of his are focused on me. Searching as to whether I'll be telling the truth or not. "Before I tell you...If you want proof, just go ask Kakashi later if he's awake. He's a big part of my life after all".


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Dance of Death**

I sigh as we sit in the clearing, the full moon blaring on our forms. I know Sasuke is there; he's good at hiding but I'm better. I know he's there for sure. "That whole clan thing I told Sakura on the way here...Is a lie. To tell you the truth, a truth that no one save those I honestly trust, I have no family. At all. No mother, father, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nothing. Like you, I'm an orphan who was born without a family, nor knowing who they were. When I came to Konoha, I was scorned just like you. Because, look at me...Even though I'm pretty, I'm like some sort of fallen angel," heh, a pun. And he'll see why soon enough. "Look at me, and tell me what you see, Naruto," I tell him as I unsheathe my claws to their full length of double my finger length. I lean forward and rest my elbows on my legs, and my chin in my a palms, claws framing my face casually.

Naruto leans back on his hands casually, "I see...A kind woman, who's strong and beautiful and has a good heart".

This makes me smile. "I'm glad to hear that. Really I am. You're one of the few who looks under neath the underneath when it comes to people; you see the kindness and the good in their hearts. However Naruto, you are a rare species. I want to say one in a hundred thousand people are as kind as you. What normal people see, is a beautiful woman with demonic features," I move piece of hair behind a pointed ear. "When they see me, they see a beautiful woman with the wings of a bat, the claws of some sort of bird, the tail of some unknown creature, and the fangs of a wolf. That's what they see, and they deem me scary or weird or threatening. Do you know what a Succubus is, Naruto?" He shakes his head. "A Succubus is an ancient creature that existed even before the Sage of the Six Paths. When demons and angels and humans roamed the lands. Yes- demons and angels did exist. A Succubus, is the female result of what happens when an angel mates with a demon. The all together result- the name for both male and female angel-demon babies- is called a fallen angel. That's where the term comes from in reality. Not angels that went against God or did something to have their wings torn off. They existed on earth like humans, just as demons did, and they were the result of a demon parent and an angel parent. Anyways, Succubi are creatures known for their use of sex to hunt for pray. They'd seduce men, or even rape them in the evening in order to reproduce or simply for a meal. The end result was always death. That's how Succubi came to be known. However, I don't think that that was common for them to do; I don't think Succubi naturally came as sex monsters". I pause, "I'm getting off track. Either way, that blood line, the fallen angel as the result of a demon and an angel mating, is where I come from. Naruto, I'm not human. And the reason I say 'I think' when it comes to how they were in the past is because, I wasn't born back then. I was created by a man named Orochimaru, one of the three legendary Sanin, a student of Hokage-sama, and the only one of the three to become defective. He made me in a tube, and infused me with all sorts of stuff. I am a fallen angel...I just...Don't have parents. So you see, Naruto...I know nothing of myself, myself. All I know is what I've told you, as well as the fact that like you, I have a massive pool of chakra in me. My reserves are so big, Naruto, that if someone were to look at my chakra coils, they'd find that inside me is something like an ocean. It's that big. Finally, all I know about myself is that I'm going to out live every one of my friends. Because unlike humans...Angels, demons and fallen angels don't age. Our minds do but our bodies don't. I'm going to be eighteen for the rest of my life".

Naruto is silent, "That's a really sad story, Cross-sensei...But what does that have to do with me? You were alone too, I get it, but you sound like you knew all this all along".

"I didn't until I left Konoha for a training trip five years ago. During that time, I found the very place I was pulled out of, and I found the notes on my creation. I had to go looking for the answer, Naruto. You were told. I know you were". I sigh and close my eyes. "Not only that, but up until I left, it was my job to protect you. Unfortunately, I failed by leaving for so long".

Naruto raises a single blonde brow, "What do you mean?"

I sigh again before pulling a mask from my left shuriken pouch. I always keep it on me; I'm still an Anbu after all. Being a Jonin and watching this over this kid is my continuous job. Not that I mind, he's a great person. "Do you recognize this mask Naruto?"

The boy leans forward and studies the porcelain thing marked with red, "Where did you get that? That's not yours". He demands, lunging forward as his eyes widen in realization.

He runs into my foot which holds him at bay, "Actually," I slip the mask onto my face. I haven't done this in forever; it feels great, I missed it. "It is mine," I tell him as I stand to my feet, and look at him through the eyes. "Don't you recognize me?"

Naruto is silent for a moment before, "I...Remember".

"That's right. Remember five years ago, I came to the Academy and we had that race? Come now, Captain, you can't say you forgot about me," I continue to trigger things. To be honest I don't care if he knows my real status. He just can't know why I'm a Jonin now. That will remain a secret until he's older. Besides, Sasuke is here; he can't know either. "And then I beat up Sasuke".

Naruto's surprised eyes become even wider, but then they narrowed, "F-Falcon?...You left me...Why?" He really is smarter than he lets on. I wonder why he plays so dumb? As I think on it...He's a fox through and through. Not because of the fox in him, but rather because of his personality. He's a tricky and unpredictable bastard...My guess is he's waiting for just the right time to show us who he really is. I wouldn't be surprised if he's strong. Very strong. But I'll stay quiet about it and wait.

I sigh, and take off the mask before putting it away. "That five year trip is why. I thought Dog had your back, but his hands became tied over time. I know he's just as sorry as I am. And I know he seeks forgiveness just like I do. I'm here now, Naruto," I tell him. By now I'm crouching with my hands on each of his shoulders, looking him in those blue eyes of his, "I'm here now. I got Hokage-sama to give me this position so I could be here and help you, understand you, again".

"You asked for this job? Isn't Jonin lower than Anbu?" Naruto questions.

"Yes. But I didn't want you to be on your own ever again," I tell him.

He's silent for a good while and then...He smiles. He smiles the brightest smile I've ever seen him give. Is his face gonna rip in half? "I forgive you, Cross-sensei. You and Dog, where ever he is. Now I know why you left, and I don't blame you. You wanted to know your origin. I can't blame you for that".

I beam to him as well before falling to my knees and wrapping him in a hug, my wings wrapping around his smaller form as I do so. "Thank you, Naruto," I tell him. His arms wrap around my torso, and we stay like that for a little while. When we separate, I smile down at him, and I'm happy to meet happy blue eyes, "Shall we go back?"

"Actually," Naruto states, "I'm going to go ahead and keep on training".

I stare down at him before nodding and placing a hand on his head to ruffle his hair gently. It seems he enjoys such attention, "Don't go too hard," I tell him before- in playful taunt- I walk my way up the nearest tree and stop at a branch before taking off. This branch just so happens to be Sasuke's. "Evening. What are you doing here?"

"I was going for a walk when I heard you talking," the young Uchiha lies, "Was all that true this time?"

"Go ask Kakashi if you don't believe me. He's the one that pulled me out of the tube," I tell him.

"Then you're the one that saved me from him," he prompts. He knows? Since when? "I knew as soon as I saw you. I never got a chance to thank you".

I blink twice. Never would have guessed. The kid even tricked Itachi, "So I'm the angel you keep on talking about? Itachi told me that that's all you'd say about the person who saved you back then"

Sasuke shrugs, "That's what you looked like in my memories. I didn't have anything else to call you by. You were my hero".

Yea, until I went back and got my wings ripped off. An experience I never want to feel again. "Well now you know," I shrug out. "Oh. Don't tell Sakura about either the massacre or my past. Okay?"

Black orbs look to me as we arrive about ten minutes from the house, "Only if you do something for me in return".

"And that would be?"

"Go on a date with me," are his blunt words.

I blink stupidly before looking down to him, "Sasuke...I'm eight years older than you. I'm pretty sure that's a bit above your age range and below my own".

"It's not like you'd be announcing it to anyone. Go on a date with me," he tells me, meeting my gaze.

"Why me?" I almost whine out. Seriously! What, is my life a love novel?

"Because you're my angel, and I have the right to take you out on a date as thanks for saving me," he tells me bluntly.

I sigh. I don't think he knows the meaning of the word, 'date'. "Fine. Just lunch, okay?"

Sasuke smirks my way and nods, "Fine". It's with that we reach the door of the house. He heads in first, and then I head in second. Tonight was god damn hectic. I need a boyfriend to push away all these men from me. Ugh. Maybe Kakashi...We're going on a date as it is. We'll see how that works out. If not him...Itachi maybe? I don't know. I sigh as I set to sleeping, sharing a room with Sakura while the boys- well, just Sasuke tonight- share with Kakashi.

Multiple days have passed and- oh lookie! Mist is covering the bridge! Anywho, multiple days have passed, and in those days the boys of the team have managed to master tree climbing, having gotten to the top and then gotten back down before dragging their sorry asses back to Tazuna's house. After that, Kakashi and I explained to the kiddies of Zabuza's staged death, and that some time soon he's gonna be targeting the old man again. Today is supposed to be the last day that the building occurs. They're almost done.

"Welcome to the party, Kakashi," Zabuza's voice coos through the mist, making the kiddies' forms tense. "You as well, Cross. We'd like rematches with you, if you will," the mist clears just enough to show Zabuza and Guzen. However, the young feminine looking boy I don't know.

I beam to the man, "Gladly," I agree. I look to my partner as I ready for a fight, "I'm not gonna waste any time looking for an explanation or anything, Kakashi. Guzen's abilities could easily destroy the bridge; he's an earth jutsu specialist. I'll leave the rest to you".

"Take him down for good this time, Cross," Kakashi mutters lowly, and I nod before taking off at full speed, my legs helping me rush the black haired young man and my wings flat to my back. My tail and braid trail behind me in the wind while my claws unsheathe, and we clash like a pair of lions fighting for the right to be King. Over and over my claws meet the two kunai he uses to bat them off. And I've gotta admit that there are times when he gets me pretty good. Mainly the arms due to the rest of me being covered in dragon scale clothing. However, again that means that my arms, upper chest, the entirety of my back, and my wings are open game. And god damn does he make use of those spots. While I'm sure to take extra caution to protect my wings, the end result is him running his kunai along my spine, all the way down my back, and then again along my lower back. Funny, I imagine there now being two wounds that make an upside down cross on my person. Perfect for me. I won't complain if they scar, but I hope that they don't scar too darkly. I grin as claws run up his torso going from his right hip to his left chest. Another set of scratches gouge their way up his entire left side on his torso. He kicks me in the gut, sending me flying away, which I in turn flip in the air and dig my claws into the ground below me to stop. Gouges are left in the bridge as a result. Cross was here. That's for sure. That's what someone who knows me would think if they saw this. We waste no time in clashing again, a broad grin on both our faces as we tussle. I kick him the gut, and grin as my kunai heel enters his person. I knew they'd come in handy. I forcefully pull the heel out of his person just as swiftly as I kicked him the first place, leaving another stab wound in him. I ignore the blood that drips down my back and arms, and now as he places a cut on my forehead just above my eye, I ignore the blood that drips over my eye.

"You're much more energetic than last time," Guzen taunts lightly as his kunai kiss my claws that reach for him. The clash causes him to slide back a few feet as I continue to advance.

"I have kiddies to protect now. There wasn't a third one of you last time so I was free to play. But seeing as there's a foe that holds themselves much better than my students do- they're just green horns- I can't help but want to kill you as fast as possible as to better protect them". I hear a scream of pain, "And see? Someone's already hurt. Not surprising".

"Well. If you're in a hurry to die...Then I guess I have no choice but to up the anti then, huh?"

"You got that right!" I grunt as I force him off of my claws, and follow up with two lashes via my claws that come after him.

His hands slam together before racing through handsigns, "Doton: Doryu Taiga!" My eyes widen as the ground below me becomes slippery and unstable to stand on. Therefore forcing me into the sky as my wings keep me from touching the ground. His hands again race, "Doton: Doryudan!" From the mud river he's made, a large head forms swiftly, showing up to become that of a dragon's head. Its maul opens up before suddenly not one, but ten bullets of mud are shot my way, causing me to have to dodge this way and that. However, I grunt as a bullet hits my wing, sending me crashing to the ground pinning me there with the sticky substance. "Doton:," I hear again, "Yomi Numa". Next thing I know, my eyes are wide and I'm covered in not just normal mud. Instead this is chakra enhanced stuff, making it extra slick and sticky. Practically impossible to get out of.

"Damn it," I growl as I struggle, "Who knew you'd know that bitch?"

From not far away from me, standing on the edge of his swamp is Guzen, "I'm not an earth release specialist for nothing you know," he tells me coolly. "And to think. All I had to do was take out your wings".

I sigh, and slump as my body begins to lose energy I can't seem to regain, "Yea". My eyes trail to over his shoulder and to his left. "But what about her wings?" I question, jerking my head in that direction I look.

His eyes widen, and the first thing that exits his mouth is: "Shit".

"Take out my wings huh?" I question with a tilt of my head as the boy spins around with a displeased look on his face. I spread a single wing and curl it around me, only to run my fingers along the scalely texture, "You didn't really think I had already thought of such an obvious weakness, did you? Come now, I'm not famous for nothing". I sigh and step around the kunai that's thrown my way, catching it on my tail. I duck and weave around the punches and kicks sent my way before I begin to give my own barrage. In order to get some distance between us, I slip around his slightly taller frame and gladly give him a kick to his spine which sends him flying forward. My hands speed through handsigns like no tomorrow, "Futon: Kami Kaze!" Now, normally the average making of the wind pillars that dance upon my command is four. However, this is one of my most frequently used wind release jutsus, and as such I'm rather good at it. As a result, twelve pillars dance around me. I grin as my braid is whipped this way and that by the gusts. However that doesn't mean I can control them all. I need a bit of help from my wings. They spread to their full length and with the help of my hands, they direct the pillars of cutting wind rapidly towards the target.

His eyes widen as he tries to dodge this way and that from the cutting wind pillars, but finds no luck as my hands and wings direct the pillars into cornering him every way he goes. Eventually he's in a cage of these pillars. "God damn it!" He scowls out with a roar of anger. Someone's not a happy kitten. His hands flash through signs before he commands, "Iwa no Yoroi," there's a slight shivering of his skin, and my eyes narrow as some sort of armor covers his skin. With a jump through a pillar that decides that if it can't completely destroy his skin, that it'll destroy his shirt, he rushes at me at full speed.

My eyes narrow as he comes at me. I hear footsteps behind me and then there's another scream of rage. Though as I move around the angry man and let the wind pillars die- I'll use them later- I realize that it's not from him. My eyes widen from their narrowed state as suddenly a rather malicious chakra permeates through the air, sending a shiver down my spine. "Shit, has his seal cracked? I just know how to calm him down, not fix the damn thing!" I mutter to myself and bear my fangs in frustration. I really do have to finish up things quickly. I sigh and become utterly calm, my face a mask of nothingness as I look to Guzen. "Sorry," I sigh. "I'll have to get serious now," my clawed hands come together to form a single seal, "Kai". There's a small ripple of energy off of my body, signaling the first release of five seals on my body that hold back chakra and speed. I rush at him with speed that far surpasses his own, and weave my way around him before slamming my foot into his back and sending him flying forward. My hands fly through signs, and again I perform Futon: Kami Kaze. I waste no time in directing the pillars at him, which once more cage him. Golden eyes glare at his black clad form. "You fought well kid," I tell him as the pillars continue to dance around him, cutting him every now and then. My hands fly through one more set of signs, "Katon: Hosekna no Jutsu. I wanted to kill you with one of my stronger techniques, like I would have done if you didn't get away the other day. But this will do". I spit fire balls at each of the wind pillars, the fire becoming almost hot enough to be considered scorching heat, but only almost. I hear a scream of pain and then silence. Assuming that he's dead, I cancel the combined jutsu, to see a downed body on the ground. But before I can do anything else, I look back in the direction of Naruto. The chakra is gone. I purse my lips. I can only assume that the fox went back to sleep. And so, I find myself now walking to the young man, surprised to find that he's still breathing. However, his skin is charred and it doesn't look like he'll be recovering.

"I...I can't," he whimpers through charred lips, the movement of the skin making it crack and bleed. "Master...Zabuza".

I sigh, "You're a caged bird, friend," I tell him. "I hate caged birds".

"No," he tells me, "He set me free. I owe him everything. I...Can't die now".

I sigh again and place my hands on my hips, tail lashing in annoyance. "Last time I checked, Zabuza wasn't a medical shinobi. And even if that other guy is, I doubt he can fix you. You're a marshmallow". Seriously, that's what he reminds me of.

"...H-...Haku will fix me. And I'll kill you in the name of Zabuza!" He snarls. Scratch that. Not a caged bird, but a loyal dog. A loyal, beaten and battered dog who through the pain is more loyal than any human could be. I watch with wide eyes as he struggles through the pain, and picks his scorched body up, the ripping and cracking of burnt skin causing blood to puddle quickly under him. If I had used a scorching heat jutsu, he wouldn't be suffering like this. It would have burnt him all the way through. Poor kid; I'm sorry. "I-," stumble forward, "I...C-..Can't...F-fail". More blood flows from his now barely balled up fist. Slowly, he stumbles forward until he's right in front of me. He slowly swings his fist, only to stumble and fall onto my waiting tail. There's a gasp of surprise as my tail impales his entire being, going through the heart. If it hadn't gone all the way through him, I'd get to see what my poison does. However, I don't want to test the poison on this pup. I'm not that sadistic.

"Go to sleep...Pup," I tell him gently as my tail keeps him standing, and slowly his breathing begins to stop. "Go to sleep. Zabuza would be proud of you for doing your utmost best. Sleep now...Pup". There's a long breath taken in, and then it comes out. However, another breath is not taken, and I know now that the boy is officially dead. I purse my lips and frown deeply before looking myself over. He did a decent number on me, I realize. The worst he did with those silly kunai of his, is a nice long scratch up my bare arm. My eyes travel through the mist that now leaves us, no longer fed by Zabuza's chakra, and I look to see a mob of criminals laughing and sneering at someone. I pull Guzen's body off of my tail and pick him up after resealing my chakra and speed.

What I come up to see is a sad sight indeed. I didn't know the young man whom I can only assume was Haku, but he looks like a kind hearted young man. Maybe a year or two older than my Genin. In the front of the mob of thugs is an older man that looks to be balding and glasses that go over what I bet are beedy eyes. His arm is in a cast, and he walks with a cane as though doing so makes him powerful; he's dressed in a suit. Is this Gato?

"What about you Zabuza?! Are you just going to stand there and let Haku get kicked around like a dog?! You were together for years! Doesn't that mean something to you?!" Naruto struggles in Kakashi's grip. Why is Haku's body getting kicked in the first place. Who dares to defile the dead? My eyes follow the glare the boy sends in the mob's direction, and I find the culprit of a grinning business man that I had just looked over. That asshole huh?

"Shut up brat!" Zabuza snaps. His body is slumped and beaten and battered, but he stands on his own two feed despite the fact that his arms seem limp and useless. There's bite marks all over him; Kakashi must have used his dog summons to trap the man. "You don't understand the way of the shinobi. I used Haku just as Gato used me. The loss of his skills and ability, yes, that's something I will miss. But the boy? He meant nothing to me".

"If that's the truth," Naruto snaps out, "Then you're a bigger asshole than I thought you were".

"Naruto be quiet! Zabuza's not our enemy any more!" Kakashi tries to control the boy, only to be pushed off.

It's by now that the clicking of my kunai heels against the brigdge can be heard, and the attention that was being given to the others, is given to me and the fried marshmallow corpse in my arms. My eyes go from Haku's dead body, to the one in my arms, to Zabuza, then Naruto, then Kakashi. Where's Sasuke and Sakura? "Let Naruto speak, Kakashi," I tell him. "He's got a respect for the deceased that needs to be explained to Zabuza here".

"C-Cross-sensei...What happened?" Naruto looks over my blooded and battered form. The wounds on my back have stopped bleeding, and so have those on my arms, on my hip, and upper chest. The only one still bleeding is the forehead one. But that's a given; forehead wounds are bleeders if you know what I mean. Still, I guess I look like I've been through one hell of a fight.

"Don't worry about it Naruto. Focus on Zabuza," I tell him as I stand to Kakashi's left and just a bit ahead of him. I've yet to put Guzen down. I don't trust the geezer to not kick or defile his body.

He doesn't need to be told twice, as he rushes forward to yell at the Hidden Mist nukenin. "You...You ungrateful...You meant the world to Haku! He lived for you and nothing else! Does that mean nothing to you at all?! While he was sacrificing everything for you...Did you feel nothing at all for him?!" Now his voice is wavering, but only a bit. "And...If I become stronger...Does that mean that I'll become as cold hearted as you are?!" Oh...Naruto...No. "The threw his life away for you! And for what? For you and your dream! You never let him have a dream of his own. But he didn't care...And you just toss him aside...Like he was nothing. "I look from the silent Zabuza to the carelessly crying Naruto. I bite my lip as I feel tears prick at my eyes. My heart reaches out for Haku. He was just as loyal as Guzen. I don't know Guzen's past. But for him to try to succeed even though a torched body...That is loyalty. "Like a broken tool. Man, that's so wrong. That's so wrong!"

There is silence from the ashen man and then, "You talk too much," my eyes follow the tears that I catch dripping down his face and through the bandages that cover him. He lifts his head, and I can better see the tears flowing from his eyes. "Your words cut deep; deeper than any blade. While he fought you, and Guzen fought Cross, Haku's heart was breaking in two. Guzen...He wanted nothing more than to please. He long since tore his heart out for me. You saw it for yourself. Haku was always always too soft and too kind. He felt pain and sorrow. And damn him now I feel it too! I can't even tell Guzen that he did an excellent job every time I told him to do something; even to the smallest detail. I never told him that I was proud of his work, or of how strong he got. And yet...I feel something else too. I feel content that this is the way it ends!" There's movement of his head, and then the sound of ripping and a sigh. Bandages fall a bit, and his face is fully shown. He looks back towards Naruto, eyes catching sight of the charred Guzen in my arms, and the silent Naruto. "Well? Cat got your tongue? Are you so surprised that I'm human? Even shinobi are human, no matter how hard we try to escape that fact. And we always fail...Well...At least, I have failed". I'm a fallen angel, and even I've failed at not having human emotions. "Boy! Give me your kunai!" Naruto hesitates until yes, he actually does give him his last kunai.

It's with that, that Zabuza catches the kunai in his mouth and sets off to have a blood bath. As he does so, I walk forward and put Guzen's charred body down not far from Haku himself. "Thank you...Guzen. You may not realize it, but, you've taught me much. Thank you". And then I stand before I sigh and look over my shoulder with a dark look in my golden eyes. I remember what Gato did. "Kakashi...".

His dark eye meets mine, only to widen. I can see a slight fear in his eyes. His hand reaches forward and brings Naruto towards him, "Naruto...Best step back for a little".

"What?" Naruto sniffles and looks from the blood bath to him, "Why?"

"There's something Cross has forgotten to tell you and the others about her dislikes. It's something that's number one on her hate list: Those who defile the dead," Kakashi answers simply. "She hates them with a passion. And if she can, she will tear asunder those who have defiled the dead in any way. Laughing, mocking, sneering at someone else's death. Wrongfully handling the body is the worst. However, Gato is Zabuza's. Therefore she's left with taking down the thugs you see".

Naruto looks to me, who by now has her claws unsheathed, "...She's going to kill them all?"

"Yes," Kakashi answers, "This is one of her more terrifying moments, I have to say".

It's with that that I take off before literally everything becomes red for me, and claws lash out this way and that. I honestly don't care how many I kill, nor their names nor what they look like. It takes me little to no time to meet up with Zabuza, and the result is me protecting his back as he moves as much as I can. However by the time I'm doing this, there's already multiple spears in his back as it is. He's good as dead pretty soon. And that makes me sad because in all reality, he's a good man. However...It can't be helped. We don't talk as we kill man after man. And even as he goes for Gato, I'm still in the middle of the slaughter fest. I snarl out my anger as by now I'm literally drenched in blood that's not my own. By the time I realize that Zabuza is done with his last duty, I've killed all the thugs.

"Thank you...For watching over Guzen's body while Gato was alive," Zabuza looks to me tiredly once Kakashi's caught him on his back.

I smile to him, and lick my lips clean of blood before planting a kiss on the side of his face, "You are a good man, Zabuza. So were Guzen and Haku. I can't help but respect you".

His eyes widened when I kissed his cheek, and the sigh of my name left his lips, "Thank you...". He's obviously on just the brink of life and death. As Kakashi walks towards the bodies of Haku and Guzen, I swiftly pull out spear and sword after spear and sword. I know he can barely feel it, being almost dead, however that doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it. As Kakashi lays his body down between Guzen and Haku, he places a hand on the latter's cheek and one on the former's head. What's surprising is that the charred skin is gone on Guzen. It takes me a moment to think what happened, but now I realize that it was his stone armor that was charred. The blood that came from 'charred skin' was actually the cutting attribute of my combination. When the chakra fully disappeared from Guzen's body, the armor fell away, showing nothing but a cut up black haired boy. "I wish," Zabuza begins as he looks to the sky through closed eyes, "I could go where you two are, Haku...Guzen...But I can't. You'll just have each other now". There's a long breath from his lungs, and it's then that we know that he's left as snow begins to fall.

"Naruto! Naruto!" Sakura's voice calls out from a bit a way. The mist is almost fully clear, so it's not hard to see her even for normal human eyes. "Look! It's Sasuke! He's alright!" Was he that badly hurt?

I look to Kakashi with a risen brow, to which he answers, "We thought Sasuke was dead due to Haku's senbon needles. But it looks like true to Zabuza's words, Haku couldn't kill and just put Sasuke in a death like state".

I sigh. Good thing Sasuke decided to wake up before I was convinced he was dead. That wouldn't of been a pretty sight. That, and it would have made Itachi the only Uchiha left. Itachi would have killed me if that was the case. I smile as Sasuke and Sakura and Tazuna make their way to us. As Sasuke's eyes land on my blood drenched form, he raises a brow, "What happened to you?"

I smile to him, "Blood bath".

"Eww, Cross-sensei!" Sakura whines, stepping a way from me a bit. "You reek of blood!"

I scratch the back of my head, "Is it that bad?" I get a nod and sigh. "Very well". I step back before turning to Kakashi and concentrating chakra in my feet so I don't go flying. "Okay Kakashi, you know what to do".

"She's done this before?!" Sakura demands.

Kakashi sighs himself and shrugs, "Yes. It's not common but it does happen. This is the best and fastest way to wash her off". Then to me he says, "You're lucky I've had enough rest to do this". That and I'm lucky he's really efficient with his chakra usage. He's not quite drained yet it seems. His hands flow through the signs before he simply states, "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu". From behind me, I hear the hissing of the water dragon, and I look up and close my eyes just in time for it to slam into me without remorse. When the water is gone, I'm free of blood.

Though I am dripping wet. Oh well, I grin and look to Sakura, "See? All better!" She scoffs, which makes me chuckle.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Let the Games Begin!...Daddy?**

"So you're telling me that that's all that happened during that mission? It went from C to B-ranked, and then you team and the both of you saved Nami no Kuni?" Guy laughs as he slumps against the bar. "That's...Utterly youthful! The both of you!"

So...You're wondering just what the hell I'm doing at a bar during the Chunin Exams. Right? I should be watching and making sure with Kakashi that the three are alright. Right? Well first off, it's kind of hard to watch to see if your team is doing well when they're in the Forest of Death. The first round was a hoot to watch. Seeing as being Jonins we already knew the key to passing the test. The fact that so many failed was sad. However I'm told that the number is large for someone who under went being tested by the head of the violent side of the Torture and Interrogation Department. What was really funny though was not people failing at doing what their profession was supposed to be, but the fact that Naruto passed without even putting his name down. The lucky idiot. Not only that, but he just about scared the crap out of Sasuke and Sakura when he raised his hand when Ibiki gave one last outing for anyone to leave if they thought they wouldn't do well in the second round. Then he had the balls to tell the scarred man off. His face was hilarious. After that we didn't really get to see our team off this time as it was straight to the forest I mentioned with Anko at the lead. Still, I'm sure with Sasuke's skills, Naruto's innate luck and Sakura's mind they'll get through it be it at the very end or in the beginning or even some time in the middle. They'll get there. They're too stubborn to die.

I sigh as I knock back the vodka shot Guy decided to order for me, and I quickly chase it with a sip of the Shirley Temple I ordered myself. "I don't know about youthful, Guy, but it was definitely full of drama and blood".

"Blood?" Kurenai questions, swishing back her coke and vodka cup back and forth. "Were the fights that violent?"

Kakashi leans against the bar from between myself and Kurenai. He tends to stay away from Guy when the man is drinking. Apparently, poor Kakashi has more than once been the victim of Guy being so smashed that he thought Kakashi of all people was a woman and tried to flirt with him and feel him up. God damn the things I've missed seeing in the last five years. "When she says blood. She means that she decided to go on a slaughter fest as I'm sure some of you have heard her do when people defile a dead body".

"Ha! 'Heard'? More like seen, Kakashi," Nikun laughs out from the table he and his brothers and Asuma have pulled over so that they can sit in front of the rest of us. Rose wine rests behind him, half gone and left alone for now.

Saiai chuckles himself, "When Kakashi and Cross were still in Anbu, they were a force to be reckoned with. You thought either of them was bad alone? Try sparring them two on one or even two on two. I swear it's like they're inside each others' minds or something". He sips his brandy before going on, "Anyways, yea. Cross has this thing where when someone defiles a dead body- enemy or not- she goes on a controlled berserk streak. There's rarely anything that can stop her. And by the time she's done, everything save her teeth is covered in blood".

Churitsu sighs as he knocks back another saucer of warm sake, "Zabuza was Kiri's Demon? Cross is Konoha's. Let's put it like that. But Saiai is right. I've never seen a duo as deadly as Cross with Kakashi. Cross and Itachi is something I wanna see though; same with Itachi and Kakashi. Those would be pairs all on their own. And don't get me started on what would happen if the three of then teamed up".

Kurenai blinks, "How did I not know that she did that sort of thing?"

I shrug, "Simply because I didn't think you needed to know. I mean, who wants to hear about a girl like me going on a killing spree? I mean, come on. You have better things to do in life, right?"

"Sure she does," Asuma answers for her with a low chuckle, "But she's your friend, why can't she ask as it is? By the way where did the scar on your back come from?"

He's talking about the two scratches that I got from Guzen's kunai during our last fight. They did scar, the vertical one being right over my spine, and the other just across my spine and kidneys. "That fight I told you about". Is my simple answer. They didn't scar dark, but nor are they light. The skin is only slightly risen and just dark enough to be noticeable. I embrace the look; it fits me well.

"Okay, I'm still pretty new at being a Jonin and all the inside jokes. Anbu jokes aren't helping either, though". Kurenai sighs before taking a short gulp of her drink. "Someone care to explain?"

"It's simple," we hear a voice speak up, and look to either our right or left. Either way we see Itachi standing there with a small smile on his lips. It looks like he's just gotten off a mission. I don't know how he does it without Guy hitting on him, seeing as the man can't hold his liquor, but he manages to steal Guy's spot and therefore sits next to me. After asking for a lime margarita on the rocks, he continues. "Kakashi, Cross and myself are three well known fighters through out the Anbu. Speaking presently, one of us is a former Anbu Captain, the second should have been an Anbu Captain but turned the position down, and I am an Anbu Captain. Three Anbu Captains together is like creating the second coming of the three Sanin". He pauses to take a sip of his delivered drink, closing his eyes and letting it sit on his tongue to enjoy it. He continues on, falling into a position that mirrors Kakashi perfectly. "Think of it like this, Kurenai-san. Three prodigies, on one team that get along and work well together. That's creating an unstoppable force, in theory, correct?"

Kurenai pauses before nodding, "I would assume so".

"Your assumption is right. But allow us to shed some light on just how powerful the three before you really are," Churitsu presses with a light smirk. "We'll take it apart step by step. First we've got the oldest of the three, Sharingan no Kakashi, son of the famous White Fang. A prodigy who as you know graduated from the Academy in a year and became a Chunin a year after he joined Yondaime-sama's team. Then he became a Jonin even sooner after that. Then up to Anbu and finally Anbu Captain. All by the time he turned fifteen. So you know he's skilled. Then there's the well known fact that he has four out of five affinities for chakra nature; that's unbelievably rare. Lastly, and the thing that got him his title, is his Sharingan eye that allowed him to copy over one thousand jutsus. All in all he's a ninjutsu master, but is also as a shinobi should be: a jack of all trades. He can fight with basically any weapon when put into his hand, and if you let him, he'll perfect a jutsu you thought you perfected in the first place. He's incredibly fast. And although he has no Uchiha blood in him, that Sharingan eye of his is used like he was born with it".

I nudge the silver haired man, "How do you like that? Churitsu has you book marked," I chuckle, "And by the looks of Kurenai's face, you're freaking her out without doing anything".

Kakashi sighs, ordering another drink. When the hell did he finish the last one?! "Although I'm used to being looked up to by now, it's still flattering".

Nikun chuckle, "Next on the list, is the second oldest and the only girl of the three. Little Miss Cross here. She's a mystery historically," as far as they know, "So we don't know just how she got the blood of power in her. However she like Kakashi is a prodigy amongst shinobi. She's known through out the world as Jigokuen no Taka- a scary name indeed. She got into the Academy rather late, but she wasted no time in graduating before she turned fourteen. Even faster, through field work she was promoted to Chunin, and in the same fashion to Jonin. Then she joined our and Kakashi's team in the Anbu by Hokage-sama's appointment. She spent a few years training with us and fighting with us, going on missions and the like. And she was offered to have her own team. But she turned it down. Said she liked it on our Anbu team and wanted to stay. Hokage-sama let the matter drop. While for her it's not a Kekkei Genkai, she's very skilled with mixing chakra natures. She specializes in mixing her two affinities though: Wind and Fire. In other words, she can make jutsus as strong as the ultimately rare Shakunetsu, without even having the Kekkei Genkai. And she utilizes this ability magnificently. Finally, she's a body covered in natural weapons to go with her massive chakra reserves. You've got those claws that sprout from her wrists first off. Those wings? Yea, they don't need handsigns to create large gusts of wind. Her fangs I'm sure can easily pierce bone, and that tail she keeps wrapped around her waist releases a rare and unknown poison from the tip when it's jabbed into something. Over all she's a brawler, but she's also got a brain in that head of hers and she's resourceful as all hell".

"It seems Nikun has you book marked, Cross," Itachi jabs my side much like I had done to Kakashi. I can't help but smile at this. The goof. I roll my eyes.

"You're last, younin'," Saiai motions to the eighteen year old man before taking a sip of his drink. "This kid here? A prodigy amongst prodigies, he's called. Head of the Uchiha Clan- even if that number is down to two- let's just say that he made it to Anbu Captain five years ago when he turned thirteen. He mastered his Sharingan before becoming a Captain. We'll put this in simple terms. Itachi has an affinity for water and fire, making him a perfect combination to coordinate with with both Kakashi and his Lightning affinity, or Cross and her wind affinity. However, he's best when using his Sharingan to its fullest. In other countries' Bingo Books, he's called Genso-shin Itachi". Saiai sighs, "Yup, Kurenai-chan. That guy and the other two next to him...I'm telling you, they're the next three Sanin. Funny. Only one of them learned directly under a Hokage".

Asuma chuckles, "Are we done showing off to Kurenai our home's military prowess through just three people? I'm still trying to figure out who's gonna go to the next round of the Chunin Exams. Let alone who's gonna win them".

For the first time in a while, Guy speaks up, "Well, why don't we have a youthfully friendly wager?" There's a bigger grin than usual on his face. "I wager that my beloved Rock Lee is going to win". Ahh, Rock Lee, the boy that beat up Sasuke before the beginning of the Exams. He's a miniature version of Guy despite being an orphan and having no relation what so ever to Guy. "And if I lose, then I'll run around the village two hundred thousand times on my hands". God that's insane!

"You're supposed to bet money, Guy, not actions," I tell him simply.

"But this makes it more interesting!" He insists.

Nikun raises a brow, "That mini-me of yours? He's good, but Taijutsu doesn't win the whole pot my friend". He sighs before grinning, "But alright. I'm game. I bet...Hmm...I don't have a team of my own and I'm the youngest of my family so...I bet Neji is gonna win it big time. He's got the skill; he's a prodigy himself. If he works hard then he'll get it for sure". He pauses in thought, "If I lose...Then I'll...Be a woman for a whole day". He grimaces. He's one of those guys who is big on his masculine dignity.

Saiai shakes his head, "It's normally the silent underdog who comes out of no where and wins stuff like this," He tells his brother. "I'm betting on that Aburme kid, Shino. I've passed him while he was training a few times. He's a monster with those bugs of his". It takes him little time to think of something to give up should he lose, "If I loose, I'll walk around the village shirtless for a whole day". Dear god is he trying to get killed by women of all ages? He may be a guy who hits on any girl he sees, but he's big on privacy; wearing clothing is part of that.

"If we're talking about silent underdogs, then why not Hinata-san? I've heard of her from Miki from the team. She says the girl's getting stronger every day," Churitsu bargans. "Should I lose, I'll buy everyone hear dinner for a week," he's the kind of person who hates spending money.

"I'll have to place my faith on Hinata too," Kurenai smiles out, "I know what she can do. Her will is ironclad. If I loose...I'll cut my hair short".

Asuma chuckles, "You're all lucky. None of you are betting on a lazy guy. I'm going to regret this probably but...I bet on my student Shikamaru. If I lose, I'll quit smoking for three days". Damn that's a big loss. His eyes roam to the last three of us who have yet to become part of the game. "What say you three? You gonna play a big kid's game?"

I'm the first one to step to the plate, I grin. "I bet on Naruto. You guys would be astounded what this kid can come up with when he puts his mind to it. If I lose...," hmmm...that's a good question. "If I lose...I'll play the piano in front of the entire village". I'm stage shy when it comes to playing.

Itachi raises a brow, "The entire village? Interesting...I'll bet on my little brother Sasuke. Simple as that. However if I lose...I'll kiss anyone the winner points out". Well shit. That's a biggy for him.

Kakashi is the last to fall into the bait, "Alright alright," he tells our mutual stares at him. "I place my bets on Sasuke as well. And if I lose...Then I'll take my mask off for everyone betting now to see". He better fucking lose. I swear.

"Great!" Guy beams, "Let's all shake each other's hands and drink to a hopeful win for each of us!" God, I hope we win.

The next day finds me in the tower that lays in the center of the Forest of Death, standing on the second floor above the fighting ring with those who aren't fighting. No, this isn't the third round; there's too many kiddies. Too much talent. Gotta bring the best of the best out of just the normal best. It's a one on one elimination round with names chosen at random and the wining point being knock out or the stopping of the fight if not even death. Kakashi are side by side as we watch with Naruto and Sakura there as well. They were the last to make it here, but they made it. Unfortunately, Sasuke seems to have a curse mark given to him by my creator Orochimaru. What it does, I don't know. But I don't like the vibe it gives off.

The first matchup Is Sasuke Uchiha up against some guy named Yoroi Akado. I watch as Hayate stands between the two before starting the game by shoudting begin and getting out of the way. As the two go at it, my eyes trail to the Anbu at Hokage-sama's sides. Itachi is here, and I'm sure he's already seen the curse mark. Yugao is also here, back from the mission that had kept her away from the bar last night. The match starts with Yoroi stealing Sasuke's chakra with his chakra through a chakra absorption jutsu. For a little while, the match seems hopeless for poor Sasuke whom is obviously very tired and with little to no energy in his person. It doesn't help that he can't resort to ninjutsu, which would probably make things easier. Hell, he can't even use his Sharingan that he awakened back in Nami no Kuni. However, I cheer with Sakura and Naruto as. Yoroi is knocked unconscious, and Sasuke advances to the next round. This means that no one from our little betting pool has lost yet. It's moments later that Kakashi leaves with Sasuke. Probably to seal away that ugly fucker on his neck.

Up next are some kid named Zaku Abumi to go with Shino whom was so kindly bet on by Nikun. I don't know or care how Zaku got his arm broken or dislocated or whatever, but the attitude reminds me of men like Gato. I can't help but grip the railing that I've been leaning on thus far harshly. There's a groaning sound, and I look down to find my fingers' imprints in the metal. Oops.

"You okay, Cross-sensei?" Naruto questions as he looks down at the indents that I move my hands from.

"Zaku reminds me of Gato. I'll be back; I gotta get me some fresh air," I tell him with a long sigh before ruffling his hair lightly under my hand.

I sigh as I stand on top of the tower, taking in the fresh- although humid- air of the Forest around me. I can hear the over groan wild life roaming around as it pleases, and I wonder if any of them would put up a good fight against me. However as I'm thinking of this, a sudden shiver runs down my spine.

"Hello, Cross," a gravelly yet smooth voice slithers into my range of hearing. "My my, how you've grown. And into a lovely woman you've become".

I whip around, only for my eyes to land on a rather pale man. I don't have to ask for his name; my mind already supplies it from the dark corners of it. Perhaps I've seen him while in my tube and I don't remember, that's how I know that this man is, "Orochimaru".

"Ah, so you remember me! How wonderful. And how could I forget one of my better creations? Honestly, I have to say I love you like a father would. I did, as I said, create you after all". His pale arms open up and a cruel smile spreads across his face, "Why don't you come to daddy?"

I bear my fangs as I crouch low like a cornered animal. I know for a fact I don't stand much of a chance against this man despite all the power in me. But I won't let him see the fear that this knowledge instills in me. Instead, I crouch low and let my tail lash back and forth like an angry cat's. "Fuck you. Bastard!"

"Oh? Someone has quite the mouth on them" The pale skinned man tilts his head, dropping his arms and licking his lips, "You certainly are a terrifying creature though. Even to myself. I wonder if you do your ancestors proud?" He chuckles a bit as claws unsheathe, ready for anything. "Don't worry my beautiful Datenshi. You'll come back to me some day. It may not be in this span of life time, where you are surrounded by friends, but by the time you reach my side I'll be immortal. And as father and daughter we can do as we please when we please".

My brows furrow. What did he just call me? "What the hell did you just call me?"

"Datenshi; that's the name I had given you while raising you in that tube," he tells me. Now his tone has changed to that of a loving father. "However I find 'Cross' a much more...Poetic name. The cross, a symbol of a man that existed during angel and demon years, who sacrificed himself to repent for all human sins; he was staked to the cross. He was known as Jesus. Or Satan- Lucifer- the first ever fallen angel and an enemy of Jesus and therefore the bearer of the upside down cross. Or...a crossroads; a time of change. Yes. Kakashi chose a good name for you, Datenshi. However I will always call you by the name I gave you; as a father should".

"You're no father of mine!" Snap out, practically foaming at the mouth. I can feel my chakra bubbling under my skin, begging to be used for a jutsu to take the man down. But I know of no jutsu that will kill this man. He's too strong for me. "I have no father! No mother! No brother! No sister! The only family I have are my friends! So go fuck yourself!"

Orochimaru sighs, the smile gone and eyes narrowed, golden meeting golden. "Oh. Now you've done it. Daddy dearest isn't happy with his little girl". A single hand forms an unknown handsign. A single word comes out of his mouth. "Rehai". And just like that, it feels like my insides are on fire. Like one of my own jutsu has fired back and is now burning me alive. I scream, and just like that I crumple. I scream louder as he comes closer, writhing and holding my head or my knees in pain. Once he's in front of me, it's me who is in Hell's inferno. Is this what those who face my signature jutsu feel like? My god this is horrible! My claws gouge marks into the roof below me. I have no will to live. "Fortunately for you, this is a once and done jutsu. Meaning that I was saving this for you for later, but you've pushed me a bit too far, honey. He crouches, holding his hand in the same unknown sign. I look at him with glazed over golden eyes. "I gave you my eyes, you know. The same exact color of molten gold is where you got your eye color from me. You're welcome you ungrateful girl". He picks up my braid and looks at it casually. "You should keep your hair loose...Let daddy see all of that pretty hair of yours splayed upon your body". He grins as he pulls the hair tie from the braid, and quickly works through the hair style, working through rough parts with merciless pulls and tugs that don't help the pain I endure at all. It's not until then that he stands and begins to back up. "Do be a good girl will you?" He mockingly requests. "Daddy doesn't want to have to physically harm you next time. I love you too much to do so".

"Fuck you," I tell him, barely moving and barely seeing him through the pain that, although lessened, still keeps me writhing and clawing at the roof top.

"You're so adorable when you're angry. Goodbye for now, Cross. I'll see you soon. I love you". He releases the unknown handsign, and sinks into the roof as though it were earth.

It's not until he's gone that the pain finally lets up. I sit there for a good ten to fifteen minutes until the pain is fully gone. When it is, I sit up and look myself over. Nothing's wrong with me, and I stand on legs that act like they were never in pain. I return back to the preliminary room, and end up next to Kakashi.

He looks my way, "Where were you? I came back and you were gone".

I sigh, "I'll tell you later. Sasuke okay?"

"He's fine; the curse is sealed and taken care of. It's just up to him to keep it under control," is the simple report.

I nod once. "Did I miss anything good?"

"Naruto hasn't fought yet, but Sakura and Ino have, it was a draw, and so did Shino. He won his match so Saiai is still in the betting pool".

"No one's out yet then huh?" I get a shake of his head as an answer, "Things are getting interesting, heh". I chuckle a bit, putting the news of Orochimaru approaching me just to fuck with my head to the side for now.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Seduction Is Stupid But Powerful**

Next up is some girl under Guy's teachings named Tenten, against a blond battle fan wielding woman named Sabuku no Temari, the oldest of the Sabuku siblings that also make the only team from Suna in these exams. It seems that the girl has a pretty good hold on Futon jutsus, seeing as Tenten's way of fighting- weapon usage- is completely destroyed by the weapons being returned through Futon jutsus and nothing else. The blond woman is a cocky little bitch, but she at least a little bit of bite to go with that bark. Still, I smile to myself. I'd to wipe that cocky smile off her face. She thinks she's good with Futon jutsu? Heh. She hasn't even scratched the surface of them.

The sixth match, is Asuma's betting horse, Shikamaru Nara of the famously lazy Nara clan against an Oto shinobi named Kin Tsuchi. The fight went on with Kin beating poor Shikamaru, apparently having seen him use his Kagemane no Jutsu. A technique that only the Naras can use. Something of a Kekkei Genkai. Kin on the other hand is a brand new book to Shikamaru, leaving him at even more of a disadvantage. Apparently the girl fights using sound to her advantage. First she fights with senbon, and throws them this way and that without bells. Until the Nara boy gets used to there being no sound. Then she starts to add in those with bells. However, those without bells still ring, due to Kin pulling on strings attached to the bells on the already thrown senbon. With the right timing, Shikamaru's ears trick both he and his eyes, and he ends up getting knicked more than once. At first it looked like Shikamaru was going to be the first one of the betting horses to lose. Meaning that Asuma would have to stop smoking for the mentioned time. However, that damn genius managaes to get his shadow to connect with Kin's. He forces her to walk around, mimmicing his moves, just like a shadow would. Until finally they both draw a kunai. These kunai are thrown. In a feat of flexibility, Shikamaru has no trouble getting under the kunai. Kin on the other hand copies him as is forced on her, and knocks herself out on the wall behind her- where Shikamaru walked her to. Thus making Shikamaru a finalist to the next round.

I look over to where Asuma is standing and get his attention by calling out, "Looks like you got lucky this time!"

The smoking man blows out a ring of the stuff confidently before replying with, "Strategy and a quick wit are needed no matter what. In most cases, brains beat brawn through and through". This makes me chuckle. Quite true, his words.

My eyes travel to the screen to see who is up against who, only to find my favorite blond boy up and ready to play. I grin and call to him as he vaults over the railing, "Go get 'im Naruto! Show him what it is to be a true shinobi!"

However, it seems that something is off about the boy. He seems a bit wobbly as he falls into a fighting stance and he and Kiba get to fighting. For a good while, it's all in the palm of Kiba's hands. Naruto doesn't seem to stand a chance against the Inuzuka. It doesn't help that Kiba has his ninken, Akamaru, to lend a helping paw by going through with a Beast Human Clone jutsu. Something I've never seen Kakashi's summoned dogs do in my entire career. For a few moments, it looks like it's all over for my favorite knuckle head, smoke obscuring even my own vision. However as the smoke disappears, is shows that the little fox has showed a bit of his skill. How? By doing a layered Henge. That's something that even some Anbu have an issue doing. Why, when Henge is so simple? Because you have to maintain two exact copies of what you're turned into. Well, two or more if it's a layered transformation. That was honestly a good move on Naruto's part. Unfortunately, it's not enoug to bring down Kiba completely, and as such he goes back to thrashing Naruto. Not only for tricking him into hurting Naruto, but also so that he can win. I blink dumbly as what gives Naruto the upper hand is him farting while trying to make a kage bushin. With Kiba's sense of smell so strong to the point of being like a dog's, the poor boy's nostrils are practically burnt off by the apparent smell Naruto's fart had. But, adapting to the embarrassing fluke, Naruto actually does manage to create a couple clones, which then help him performing something he likes to call 'Uzumaki Rendan'. In the end, it's he who wins.

"Alright Naruto!" I hug the boy as me makes his way back up to the rest of us. "Man you had me worried kiddo, but you beat him!"

Naruto smiles and beams up to me from his spot in my arms, my wings curled around his smaller body, "I really did show him, huh?"

"Damn straight," I nod. "I'm getting you ramen for dinner to night. As much as you want mister; you deserved it".

"Might I join you for that meal?" Kakashi sounds from my side, "He's my student too you know". Yea, but you went ahead and bet on Sasuke, ya ass.

I sigh, "Fine. But you're paying me back; you didn't do any fight winning today". He eye smiles to me in thanks, and our eyes return to the matches.

What's up next goes so far as to make me sad. A family rivalry so deep that one, the prodigy, feels the need to kill the other, the gentle heiress. It's Neji and Hinata Hyuga that are against one another. Cousins by blood and not just related by clan. And while he is strong in body and mind, the girl is only strong in heart. I can see it now. Neji tries to get Hinata to give in before he has to fight her. But it wasn't a sincere 'give up' suggestion. It was more of a threath, and I find myself crushing the railing again in a new spot. Poor railing, never did anything to me. But it's better than getting so pissed as to accidentally unsheathe my claws while my fingers are curled into a fist due to my anger. I've done that before- in frustration at myself during my time away from the village- it wasn't fun at all. Seriously man. Still, Hinata shows herself to be strong in her heart as I've mentioned, seemingly inspired by Naruto's perserverence to not give up nor turn away. I smile. She's so much like the boy she doesn't even realize it I don't think. She tells Neji of how she's learned to be brave through Naruto, which I'm sure touches the boy's heart. And from there they set to their fight. However, a match between two Hyugas is never like any ordinary match between two people against someone, or even a Hyuga against someone normal. I only slightly listen as Kakashi explains to Naruto and the now awake Sakura just what kind of fighting they're doing, called Gentle Fist. It's way of fighting that blocks off the chakra and causes bodily harm from the inside out. And a single place of the palm can kill a person. The fight goes on until Hinata is coughing up blood, and her frail frame collapses under the presser of the fight. Though Neji moves for the killing blow, it's Hayate that does his job and stops the boy from succeeding. Hinata is pulled away from the room on a stretcher. I'm sure she's being rushed to the hospital. Still, the end result is something I'm sure would flatter the girl. Naruto, inspired by her determination and bravery, vows to take Neji down in the final round of the exams. I grin, my eyes sliding towards Guy. That'll be an interesting fight. Neji is not Guy's betting horse, but still, Neji is from Guy's team.

The last fight that I really pay attention to- sorry Choji- is the ninth match where Rock Lee is against Sabuku no Gaara, the youngest of the Suna siblings. And probably the scariest looking. The match starts off with Lee not getting far with the tactics of simply trying to get around Gaara's sand that seems to have a mind of its own. In fact, he's barely faster than the stuff. And when the sand kicks things up a notch, Lee's no match for the stuff. That is...Until Guy allows Lee to take off the leg warmers on his legs. Like his teacher, those orange contraptions are rather heavy weights. I honestly wasn't expecting them to be heavy enough to make craters in the ground below where he removed them. Such a sight is actually...Rather scary. To find someone that was already that fast and yet for him to be even faster without the weights is insane for a Genin. I could say the same for myself. But I can tell you now that if he survives this match- win or lose- he's bound to be a speed demon like his teacher. I don't know how fast he'll be, but I'll just say this now. I don't wanna know. As Lee's speed is upped to match that of Gaara's sand, it turns out that his speed even surpasses Gaara's sand. Lee manages to get a hold of the red haired boy and use Front Lotus n him. However, that's where everything goes down hill. A sand clone had taken the brunt of that attack's force. This means that even though Lee is without his weights, Gaara's sand is still faster. It's then that Guy allows Lee to open the inner chakra gates. I pay no mind to what they are. All I can say is that they increase his power and speed immensely for however long, but I can tell that the payment for such a technique is the destruction of the body. However, despite five opened gates, Gaara is still to much and too skilled. It's the sand that he controls that makes him so hard of an opponent. And with no jutsu arsenel to pull from, Lee is at the biggest disadvantage I've ever seen. Gaara does eventually catch Lee with his sand. And he mercilessly crushes the boy's arm and leg. It breaks my heart to see such a sight, seeing as even with a broken and battered body that Lee inflicted on himself and got due to his fight with Gaara, Lee wanted nothing but to be called a splendid shinobi in Guy's words. It breaks my heart. The only thing that stops me from vaulting over the railing and going with Guy to protect Lee's prone form, as Gaara was going for a killing blow, is Kakashi. As I ready to move, he takes a hold of one of my wings and stops me in my tracks. I look at him with tearful eyes, and he shakes his head, making my shoulders slump. Another pure hearted boy that had to suffer. In the end, Gaara wins the match.

"So you're telling me that Orochimaru is here in the first place for the Sharingan?" I question as Kakashi and I stand in Sasuke's room. There's a vase filled with flowers and a card that has the boy's name on the front in Itachi's writing on the night stand next to the hospital bed. Itachi's been here.

"That's right," Kakashi states. "And you're telling me that Orochimaru came to see you, acting like some sort of twisted father and telling you that apparently you get your eye color from him personally?"

"That's right," I ground out, unhappy at the thought of the man. I turn and lead the way out of Sasuke's room, wanting to not wake the sleeping boy. "I've already reported to Hokage-sama about it. He says that my apparent relation to the snake will remain a secret between myself, him, and now you. I'm not to tell anyone else. If the villagers knew that I was in the slightest related to him...Who knows what would happen".

Before Kakashi can answer, there's the shouting of, "Cross-sensei! Kakashi-sensei!" From Naruto behind us.

"Be quiet Naruto," Kakashi chastises, "It's a hospital here; there are people resting. What do you need?"

"I was wondering...If maybe either of you could train me?" He questions excitedly.

I grin, jumping on the train so to speak, "I can do that, mister. In fact, I was gonna come looking for you to offer to train you in the first place. You just got to me first".

Stars light up in those blue eyes. "What? Really?"

Laugh and place a hand on his head, "Yup! But first, I want someone to check on that 'friend' of yours," tell him glancing quickly at his stomach to tell him who I'm talking about. "Just to make sure he's in tip top shape. Okay?" I'd heard from Hiruzen after reporting to him that Jiraiya has come to the village due to the news of Orochimaru being here. However, I plan on hunting him down and making him check on Naruto.

The boy is silent before he nods once, "And then we can get to training, right?"

I grin as I wave to Kakashi with one hand and rest another hand on the boy's shoulder, "Naruto, my dear friend," I tell him, "When I'm done with you this month you've got to train, you're going to be a force to be reckoned with". As we step out of the hospital and onto the streets I mutter just low enough for him to hear, "And then maybe you can drop that mask you've been keeping. I know you're not some hidden genius or anything like that, but it'd be nice if I saw the real you you carry in you".

Naruto's excited smile falls for a second, "I can?"

I nod once. Where I lead him to is a well known hot springs bathing resort that many women go to simply because most women- kunoichi and villager alike- like to bathe in hot water instead of shower all the time. But it's not there that we walk into. No no, we walk around the building, into the back where I know a certain man to be. Before we get to this man, however, I pause and make Naruto face me. "Listen to me carefully, Naruto," I tell him. "The words I say, and the stuff I do, are just to get the man to cooperate, alright? Nothing more, nothing less. I'll be doing a bit of seduction work, but nothing major, okay?"

"So you're going to trick him," Naruto nods out.

I nod before looking to the strings that lace up part of the low cut of my shirt, and then I begin to fiddle with them so that they're more loose and more cleavage is showing. Not that more needs to be shown but...Just in case. My hands pull my braid in front of me and with swift and skilled movements, my hair is out of the braid, flowing and long and wavy from being in said hair style for so long and so often. A few strands fall to the front of my shoulder while the rest go onto my back and lay in between my wings. I look to the boy and smile a fangless smile. A flirtatious one; the same one I'll be giving the old coot. "How do I look?"

Naruto looks me up and down with glazed over eyes and a smile that's a bit too big on his face. Is that drool? "You look awesome".

I smirk, "Good". It's with that, that I find Jiraiya right where I figure the famous author of an even more famous book to be. Peeping in on the woman's side of the bath house. I smoothly walk up to him, and place a hand on his back between his shoulders, under that long white pony tail of his. "Hello handsome," I coo into his ear, bending at the waist, "What brings you to this neck of the woods, hmm?"

Dark eyes meet golden, and together we stand with me taking my hand off his back, only to be replaced on his chest lightly. His eyes wander downwards to my bust as any pervert's would, and as expected his eyes widen and drool begins to dribble from his mouth. "Well hello there! My name is Jiraiya! And who might you be, lovely lady?"

I giggle in a way that I should never giggle, and lean against him, pressing my form against his much older- but still admittlingly rather firm for an old man- frame. "My name isn't of any importance right now. Let's just say that I'm a huge fan of yours. The women you base those in your books off are so beautiful. They make me jealous but I can't help but enjoy your stories all the same".

Hands slither around my waist smoothly, just as my hands are now up around his neck, "Is that so? Maybe you could model for me? You're beyond beautiful," he tells me, his face lowering into mine, and his voice dropping into a seductive octave. My my, what a smooth and practiced flirter this man is. Still, this feels gross.

I smile and let our lips hover just a few centimeters away from one another, or noses brushing ever so gently, "I'd love to model for you...Jiraiya-sama," I coo. God, this is getting old really fast. I'm gonna throw up any second. "Do you think...Do you think my friend could join me?"

"Of course!" He assures with gleeful laughter.

"Wonderful! But you see...My friend has this little problem. She's shy...Will you help me bring her out of her shell?"

"I'll help her with anything she needs!" He coos.

"Excellent!" I remove my person from his and take his hand in the 'gentle' way I've read the way women do in his books and pull him along. "She's this way". And so, I pull him along through the village, giggling and laughing at whatever the man says. He sometimes lets a hand rest on my hip here and there but it's nothing I can't handle. With a clone having escorted Naruto to my destination, I stop and announce, "We're here!"

Jiraiya's eyes fall onto Naruto and he turns to look at me, "Where's your friend? I just see a runty blond brat".

My smile falls, and it's now that I start fixing up my clothing. Covering my cleavage as it should be by drawing the strings tighter. My loose hair is pulled over my shoulder and my hands begin to rapidly and skillfully braid the strands into a standard loose braid. "Yea. About that," I tell him, my face blank while my tail so kindly unwraps from my waist and points at the hitai-ate around my throat before wrapping back around my waist. "There was never another girl and I was never some ditzy wanna be model. That kid is Naruto. I'm sure you know about him and his status".

His own smile falls and he sighs, putting a hand to the back of his head, "Ahh, fooled by a pretty woman. Who are you exactly? I never got a name".

I offer my hand for him to shake, which he does firmly, "My name is Cross. I'm one of Naruto's teachers and I've decided to go ahead and train him so that he's strong enough to take on his opponent, Neji Hyuga, during the third round of the Chunin Exams. What I need your help with is simple; the Kyubbi's seal. Naruto's chakra seems to be way off- looked that way during the preliminary rounds. He and his team came into contact with Orochimaru so I suspect he's the one that fucked Naruto over".

Jiraiya sighs again, "I did say I'd help you," he mutters. "Alright Naruto," he tells the blonde, "Lift up your shirt and channel chakra into...Your feet". The boy complies cluelessly, and I tilt my head as the man mutters something about a five elements unseal seal, before suddenly slamming his hand into Naruto's gut and sending him flying. He stands straight and looks to me blandly, "That should do it".

I grin before nodding, "Thank you". I make my way towards him, and he seems like he's waiting for something. I sigh as I realize that yes...He's definitely looking for more than just words of thanks. I place a pretty smile onto my face and trail a hand up his chest, his neck and under his chin as I walk passed him, "Thank you Jiraiya-sama~," I coo. I feel him melt like the perv he is, and turn my attention towards Naruto. "You alright kiddo?"

Naruto groans, "Yea...I think so".

I smile, "Goodie. Let's see if that acting went to waste or not, shall we?" I question as I help him to his feet. I lead him to the stream that's not far from us, and motion to us. "The next exercise after tree walking is water walking. You remember how Zabuza stood on water right?" I get a nod. I'm gonna teach you to do the same. It's simple but it's not. With a flat surface, you can find and maintain a steady flow of chakra to let you stick to that surface. However when it comes to a moving surface, water, you have to fluctuate your out put on each foot so that you don't over or under do it. Do it wrong either way, and you sink into the water. We'll work on that until you get it down. And then we'll work on your taijutsu and I'll teach you some really cool jutsu".

Naruto nods with determination and steps towards the river that I stand on with no issues. He concentrates before, when he thinks he's ready, stepping onto the surface. What's the result? Splash! "Ahhhh! Coooooold!"

I grin, "Sorry kiddo. It should be a bigger initiative for you to learn this faster now, that you know that it's pretty damn cold". He glares at me before ridding himself of everything save his boxers and trying again. With the same result. It's gonna take him a little while to get it down I think.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Victory Always Comes With Loss**

I grin as I stand here as a normal teacher watching over her student that now stands in the ring in which the third part of the Chunin Exams will be occurring. An arena built just for this exam is within the village. And it's big enough to hold hundreds of people to watch the show. Like the contestants have their own waiting box, the Jonin instructors that taught them the skills that got them into the Chunin Exams in the first place have their own box for relaxation. That is, if the Jonin's student got this far. Lucky for my friends and I, we've made it; Kakashi, myself, Guy, Kurenai and Asuma.

"Where's Kakashi?" Guy questions as he leans against the railing with me, a slight frown on his face as we look down at the lined up contestants.

"Probaby gonna enter all fancy like," I sigh to him and wave my hand uncaringly. "You know how he likes to show off".

"Sasuke's and Gaara's fight is the second round though; and that's what basically everyone came for. They want to see if the youngest of the remaining Uchihas has what it takes to become a Chunin," Asuma speaks up from my other side. "If they're late, they're gonna piss some people off".

"You mean other than Itachi?" I question with a chuckle. Speaking of the Anbu Captain, my eyes trail the roof tops in front of me for a weasel mask, and only find it after looking back right across from me. I know he's looking my way, so I smile and send him a tiny wave. I see the tiniest of nods in return, and I smirk a bit.

"Yes, other than Itachi," Asuma chuckles out. "Speaking of which, how is he? You're the closest one to him other than Kakashi and he's not here. There was that night in the bar but we didn't really talk about missions or anything other than that C-rank turned B-ranked one your team went on".

For a split second, there's a frown on my lips, and the grip my tail has around my waist tightens. But that's only for a split second before a smile is on my face again, "He's busy. Very busy. Especially given the situation we're currently in with Orochimaru as well as other villages simply being in our home- ally or not. I'll be busy too, once these exams are over".

Kurenai speaks up from Asuma's other side, sitting back on the railing before us as she does so. Her pretty face is scrunched up into a questioning glance, "How come?"

I sigh. I can't tell them the truth but...I can give them a reason in place of the truth. "One of the older Anbu Captains died about a month ago while looking for Orochimaru's current hide out; he's gotta have one near by if he's so easily getting into the village. Hokage-sama told me that once the Chunin Exams are over, I'll be returning to doing Anbu duties for the most part. I'll still be able to go on missions with Team Seven and Kakashi, but seeing as Kakashi is the primary Jonin of the team and seeing as these Exams will prove Naruto's worth, I won't be needed unless it's an emergency any more". Another frown mars my face for a moment. "I'm gonna miss going on the easy stuff but...Hokage's orders you know?"

Guy smiles, giving the usual good guy pose, "I'm sure a youthful flower like yourself will do fine as an Anbu Captain, Cross".

I return the smile and chuckle a bit, "I sure hope so. I wonder what my team is gonna be like". My eyes trail down to the arena to see that finally the other contestants are filing out, leaving Naruto and Neji proud. I grin now, and call out through the silence, "KICK HIS ASS NARUTO! SHOW HIM WHAT IT IS TO BE A REAL SHINOBI!" I get a grin and a wave sent my way and I beam.

"You seem rather confident in Naruto-kun's skills," Guy raises a bushy brow.

I bear fangs at him, "I'm the one who trained him while Kakashi got Sasuke...You lot are finally going to see Naruto's true colors".

And so the match between underdog and prodigy begins. It looks like Naruto is at a disadvantage, at first, seeing as although he can overwhelm the Hyuga with shadow clones, noen of them land a hit due to some sort of dome technique that Neji uses. It's then that Neji decides that while kicking Naruto's ass, he's going to tell his own little sad story. And while it pisses me off that the main branch of a clan would cage the birds that is their own family of the branch portion of the clan, this is a fight and we shouldn't be telling stories. Or at least if you're going to tell a story, do it while you're fighting. Neji seems convinced that Naruto has some sort of destiny to fail and always fail. However, Naruto and I know it's different. Neji cuts off Naruto's chakra supply using a Hyuga move that I don't plan on trying to know the name of.

"Naruto I sear to god if you don't kick his ass right now, I'm gonna come down there and beat you half to death!" I growl out from where I am. Why isn't he showing his true colors? He's just using old tricks! He's not some one trick pony any more damn it.

Naruto looks up to me as though he heard my words and I see him wink before suddenly he taps into the reserves that I got Jiraiya to help me to teach him to tap into. The Kyubbi's chakra, which is more potent and strong enough to break the dams that Neji put on Naruto's chakra. Luckily the boy doesn't tap into enough to make him begin to lose control, just break the dams. And that's when his hands slam together before forming the a rapid set of signs. "Futon: Dai Kamaitachi!" He takes a big breath before channeling the chakra as I taught him blowing out multiple torrents of cutting wind at the Hyuga.

"You taught him a B-ranked jutsu?" Kurenai questions with wide eyes. "He's only a Genin".

I scoff her way, "Come now, Kurenai. I was only a Genin for about a month or so and by that time I was already performing S-ranked jutsus. Besides, Naruto is one hell of a kid; he can handle it".

"That's not enough!" Neji tells the boy as he performs that dome signless jutsu, causing the blades to disapate as though it were nothing. However, when he stops there's a Naruto in front of him. The one that was further away poofs away to show that he was nothing but a clone. "What?!" The real Naruto's fist comes forward and up, driving itself into Neji's chin and sending him upwards from the power. The cutting wind of Senpuuken cuts the boy's neck and chest and chin. Neji lands on the ground, down and unable to continue the fight. Thus leaving Naruto as the winner. How did Naruto get to Neji while he was in the dome? Simple. He used a varied form of Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu. Just because I prefer my wind and fire jutsus doesn't mean I don't know other stuff too you know.

"WHEEEEEW! ALRIGHT NARUTO! YOU KICKED HIS ASS GOOD AND HARD! I'M PROUD OF YOU KID!" I cheer from my spot, crouching on the railing and leaning as forward as I can without falling. I would just swoop down and tackle him. But that can be saved for later. I look to Guy and grin, "Nikun lost!~" This makes Guy laugh his fool head off. Oh god that's gonna be great to see!Kurenai has already cut her hair shorter, as it used to be at about mid back, now it just lays over her shoulders. And Churitsu bought food for the rest of us that were there for a week as he said he would. Guy to go around the village on his hands two hundred thousand times I believe it was. And now Nikun has to cross dress.

Being that Kakashi and Sasuke still haven't shown up, and being that that's the match that everyone has come for, it's been pushed back and Shikamaru's fight is next. It doesn't help that a still battle ready Naruto pushes Shikamaru over their box's railing and sends him falling to the ground like a rock. In this round, it's Shikamaru versus Temari, the battl fan girl and the oldest of the Suna siblings. We watch as Shikamaru tries strategy after strategy against the girl only for her to throw them back in his face one way or another. It's a rather intense battle, just as Naruto's and Neji's was.

"I think you're going to lose this one, Asuma," Kuenai looks to the smoking Jonin.

The bearded man smiles as he watches his student, a look of true liking in his eyes. It seems that someone has a favorite student~. "No...It's no where near over yet; things are just getting started". He tells her. "Shikamaru is lazy, yes, but he's insanely smart. I've often played Shogi with him; I've never won. Not once. And I'm just a bit over twice his age". He chuckles. "That boy is nothing but a pure genius. Maybe not physically, but mentally his strategies are insanely well put together. I've gotten him to take an IQ test, disguising it as a game...His IQ is over two hundred".

My eyes widen, "Two-fuckin'-hundred? Damn, that's insane". I can't help but grin. I love living in a village where even the younger shinobi are talented. It makes things interesting and never boring. "He's...Manipulating her," I realize with an even wider grin, "I like this kid. I like him a lot". In fact, he's manipulating Temari to stand in front of the tunnel that Naruto had dug in order to take Neji down.

"He actually wants to meet you," Asuma tells me with another chuckle, "Says he wants to figure out how you tick".

Guy laughs himself, "Looks like he's managed to get into the non-restricted mission archives, Cross-chan".

"He says that while it seems like you fight like some sort of brawler, that you also seem to have some sort of strategy to your fights. He's a smart kid, always looking for someone to match his intellect". Asuma continues.

"I'm honestly not as smart as missions make me seem. I can plan, but only in the middle of a fight; I'm good at thinking on my feet and nothing more," I laugh. "I hope I don't let him down when he figures that out". My eyes widen as when Shikamaru finally catches Temari, he forfeits, saying that not only is he tired and drained, but he doesn't like to harm women. Heh. A noble boy he is. How nice. Still, I look to Asuma, "Looks like you'll have to stop smoking," I tell him. "After all, he lost his match and this is the final round".

Asuma sighs and pulls the butt of his cancer stick from his mouth, "This is going to be annoying but...I'm a man of my word".

There's a five minute break until Sasuke and Kakashi come along in a burst of leaves all show off like, being back to back. As Kakashi is sent up to our box and Gaara comes down for the fight, I glare at the silver haired man. "Idiot. Took you long enough".

Kakashi smiles, "We had a bit of last minute training to do. We didn't miss anything good did we?"

"Other than Nikun and Asuma losing their part of the bet? Not really. Naruto kicked ass, and Shikamaru kicked as but forfeited for whatever reason," I tell him. My eyes trail down to Sasuke, finding his clothing changed only a little bit. He wears a black shirt instead of a blue one, his arm warmers are trimmed with black. "Is he gonna hold up?"

Kakashi smiles and steals Asuma's spot next to me, sitting on the railing in a similar fashion to Kurenai, "He'll hold. I've prepared him specifically for this match".

Sasuke's match is quickly begun, and the young Uchiha wastes no time what so ever in demonstrating to all around him what he's learned. My eyes widen as his legs carry him at a speed I've only seen on one other person in that generation: Lee. To think that in a fucking month, Sasuke managed to get to a speed that I'm betting Lee worked to get for years, is saying something amazing. That's saying that the boy basically didn't eat or sleep or even rest during the month. I grin. I can't wait to see the fight between Naruto and Sasuke. Because I think that while Sasuke is faster, Naruto is more resilient.

What I'm really surprised about is the fact that Kakashi went so far as to, "You taught him Chidori?" I question with a raised brow and a purse of my lips. Why give him such a powerful move? To keep him in the village? Wrong way to go about it, Kakashi. "How many times can he use it?"

"I couldn't very well teach him Raikiri," Kakashi tells me. "Not just because it's too dangerous for him, but because I don't want him to have it".

I sigh, "Still," I trail off. I watch as the boy races down the wall and across the distance between he and Gaara. The ball of sand that Gaara hides himself in unleashes spikes to ward Sasuke off. The boy ignores the spikes, and the Chidori is therefore inserted into the sand.

There is silence and then, "BLOOOOOD! I'M BLEEDING!" And then a shrill scream.

My eyes narrow as feathers fall from the sky, and there's an explosion from the Hokage's watching box. Well shit. We're under attack. I knew we were expecting this, but Suna too? Aren't we supposed to be allies with them? Ugh. My hands form the seal for releasing the genjutsu, "Kai". And I turn to face Kakashi whom along with Guy has already begun to take down Oto and Suna shinobi. By the looks of things, Guy's already decided to challenge Kakashi to a 'who can take down the most bad guys' match. Idiots. I unsheathe my claws before looking to the nearest Suna nin and sigh. "I really don't wanna kill you...But eh". Seriously, I don't. They're supposed to be allies; I want answers before I take lives. The Suna shinobi says nothing, and I duck under the punch he sends my way before I find my claws in his gut. I sigh. This is seriously gonna be an issue. "Kakashi," I call over the mayhem, "I'm out of here! I'm gonna see if I can just go take down Oto shinobi!" I don't wait for an answer, taking off with a push of my wings as I must. As I pass over the roof where the Hokage was sitting my eyes widen as one Konoha ninja tries to get through the box that's risen up only to burn to death. I stop and purse my lips. Does the old man got this? There's an explosion within the box that's created by neither Hiruzen nor the Kazekage. When the smoke clears, an Anbu in a...Holy shit that's Itachi! If Itachi's there, then things will be fine. I nod to myself before taking off for the edge of the village, where I can see a two headed snake being crushed by a large frog. On that frog is none other than Jiraiya himself. I push for more speed, dodging kunai thrown my way when people see me. And eventually I land on Jiraiya's toad, careful not to let the heels touch its tender skin by walking on my toes more. "Jiraiya," I greet.

"Cross," he greets back. "Where's the Old Man?"

"Fighting the Kazekage with Itachi," I tell him.

Jiraiya's eyes narrow and he shakes his head, making me tilt my head in question. Is Itachi not enough? "I just got back from investigating some things. The Yondaime Kazekage is dead; the one Sensei is fighting now is Orochimaru".

My eyes widen and my blood begins to boil. The mere mention of that man's name makes me gnash my teeth together in anger. I crouch and ready to take off; no way am I not getting in on this! "I'll go help them then!"

Jiraiya has different plans though, reaching for one of my wings and making me stop in my tracks, "Woah there! I don't know why you hate Orochimaru so much, however you're going to have to put that aside for now. I need your help keeping Oto shinobi from getting further into the village than they already have. If you wanna take down Orochimaru, make his army's number even smaller. Okay?" I snarl and try to pull my wing from his hold, but it is firm and there's no way I'm pulling harder. "I said, 'okay?'"

"Fine," I snap out, my tail loosening from its hold around my waist and lashing angrily. "I'll take care of things outside the walls; there's bound to be people there. If you see blue fire...That's a good thing". He releases me and I push off, going over the walls of Konoha and looking down to the ground. There's a swarm of men and women of different ranks trying to get into my village on the east side of it, I see. "Yo! Fuckers!" I call from above a group. "What the hell do you guys think you're doing?!"

"Who the hell is that?" One asks another.

"Idiot, that's Jigokuen no Taka! Guys, if we take her down that's one less super power to worry about! Let's go go go!" The other answers with wide eyes. I don't bother to learn what they look at as water jutsu this way and that are thrown my way.

"Okay," I sigh as I fly out of a water dragon's range, "This is getting boring. My hands weave through signs, and within my body I've already mixed the chakra natures for the jutsu. "Let's see how you take my signature attack shall we? Aoikassai: Jigokuen no Tori!" Blue fire erupts around me, encasing my body but not harming it. I know that around me is something of a shroud of fire in the shape of a bird. I flap my wings once, and as one I and he shroud dive for the men and women whose water jutu and weapons either evaporate or melt from my fire. I wash over their heads playfully, only catching one with my tail just enough to stab but not impale them. My tail brings him up to me to see what's going on. After all, this is the first time that the poison in my tail can act- well not the first, but the first time I can really watch it. I watch as the man writhes in pain and screams for a good three minutes before he's dead. So it's kind of fast acting. What I see next is also interesting. As though acid had been placed in his veins I see parts of his body caving in on themselves and then holes appearing small at first and steadily getting bigger. Hmmm...So it's a corrosive type of poison. How cruel. I release him. And look down at the crowd below me. Okay, time to seriously kill them all. Orochimaru wanted to bring an army into my home? This is what he gets. I again swoop down, but this time nice and close to the ground as my shroud may light them aflame. I release the jutsu as I hear screams of all kinds, and look don to see people burning in my lovely blue fire. I smirk cruelly. Down this army will go. Up until Suna retreats, I'm literally blasting out technique after technique. It's a shame I don't get anyone to fight majorly but, everyone has their jobs. Even me. There are times when I continue to use Aoikassai: Jigokuen no Tori. But there are other times when I use Aoikassai: Okina Hi Taiho, or Aoikassai: Jigoku Kassai which is just me breathing out this massive wave of blue fire. There's also Aoikassai: Kitsune no Chimaturi, or Aoikassai: Kistune no Yasei Kyofu. The first is blue fire spurting up from no where, and with a flap of my wings the fire rushes forward like a landslide would down a hill, forming the bodies of multiple blue fire made foxes. The other one is a tornado of fire created with the help of my wings, which is directed by my hands and upon contact with the target(s) it burns them while fire made fox heads reach out and bite what they can without remorse. I have many others. But those are the main ones that are used.

When Suna has finally retreated, and little to no Oto shinobi are alive, I search the village for the fallen Konoha men and women that may have lost their lives on this day. I'm saddened to find that the number is bigger than I figured it would be. However, what I'm even more sad about is the loss of our great leader, the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. According to Itachi, Orochimaru used a jutsu that brings back the dead and allows the user to make them their puppets. Edo Tensei, Itachi said Orochimaru called it. And while Itachi was busy fighting the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokages, the Sandaime was fighting Orochimaru. The old man didn't see himself beating Orochimaru, and the puppet Hokages were giving Itachi a hard time, according to him. Therefore, Hiruzen saw one choice only. Seal Orochimaru's arms into himself by summoning the Shinigami. Two of his clones did the same thing to the Shodaime and the Nidaime at some point when Itachi was knocked back. This forced Orochimaru and the last of his forces to leave. Hiruzen Sarutobi, died in Itachi's arms. And so today, here I stand with my head bowed, standing between Kakashi and Itachi. On Kakashi's other side is Naruto and on Itachi's, Sasuke. I didn't bother braiding my hair, letting it just flow as it pleases. The clothing I wear is that of a formal black long sleeved blouse with holes in the back for my wings and matching pants. My shinobi sandals are the same as ever. I listen to the sound of Hokage-sama's grandson, Konohamaru, cry due to the death of the man who took him in and raised him. What a sad, sad sound. One that should never be heard. And yet, I'm sure Konohamaru isn't the only child who has lost a beloved one.

I listen to Iruka's words of wisdom to the boy as he comforts him, as well as Naruto, "When one person dies… he disappears… Along with his past, current lifestyle, and his future. Many people die in missions and wars. They die easily and in surprisingly simple ways. Hayate was one of them. Those who die have goals and dreams. But everyone has something as important as those. Parents, siblings, friends, lovers… People who are important to you. They trust and help each other. The bond between the people important to you ever since birth… And the string that binds them becomes thicker and stronger as time goes by. It's beyond reason. Those bound to you by that string will do that. Because it's important…".

I sigh. I don't understand the loss of family, nor the loss of someone you truly love. However, I do understand the loss of someone you care for, such as my leader. I cared for him, didn't love him, but cared for and respected him. To lose someone so great...There is no true replacement. And there never will be.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Things Get A Bit Complicated**

FLASHBACK INSIDE A FLASHBACK

"That's insane, sir!" I shake my head disbelievingly. "It'll only be two of us! What if things go wrong?"

"Are you saying you and Itachi are not strong enough to do this?" Hiruzen raises a single brow calmly.

I sigh, "I'm strong, sir, but I know my weaknesses. I-"

"And that is why Itachi is there to cover you, just as you are to cover for him. The rumors of you, Kakashi and Itachi being something like the next generation of Sanin is not some fantasy. You three make that good of a team, and you are that powerful. I would ask all three of you to do this, but as it stands Kakashi is the primary leader of Team Seven and he can't just up and disappear," Hiruzen interrupts lightly. "You knew you would be returning to Anbu duties when the Chunin Exams ended. They are coming to and end and although it is a bit early, I must give you this mission so that you may leave right away".

"Sir," Itachi questions, "Just how is this all supposed to play out? What is our excuse? They are all S-ranked criminals and missing ninja. Surely we cannot just waltz in and ask to be a part of their group; that wouldn't be plausible".

Who is 'they' you may ask? An organization called Akatsuki. For the most part they can be considered as mercenaries. However, a spy under Jiraiya has found something big. Being a group of mercenaries is not the main goal of the Akatsuki. They were as such simply in order to make money in order fund themselves. Their true goal is the capturing of Jinchuriki and the extraction of the Bijuu. We don't know what they'll be doing after the Bijuu are all taken, but that's besides the point. They have to be stopped. That's why Hokage-sama called us during the month of training before the final Chunin Exam round. It's our job to infiltrate the Akatsuki and gather information.

"It will not matter to them whether you are missing ninja by title or not. So yes, you will waltz in and ask to be a part of their organization. However, while they will believe you are double agents looking to help them reach their goal, driven by your dislike for all Jinchuriki- Cross- and simply a dislike for the way the village is run- Itachi-, you will really be double agents working for us. In essence, they will think you are missing ninja at heart, and ultimately want to see Konoha go down. This, I theorize, will get you into the Akatsuki just fine. You will most likely be watched by someone, so you may not break role until they trust you," Hiruzen answers simply. "You will be forced not only to kill the innocent but also go with every one of their plans that involve you".

I don't like this...But they're trying to hurt Naruto. The boy I've come to see as a brother, just as I see Itachi and Sasuke even. I can't let them hurt him. I refuse. And this is my home! I'm not losing it to a group of power hungry men. Fuck that. "...What about the other countries? If we're told to go after another Jinchuriki in another country and they see our hitai-ates not scratched, they'll think Konoha is in on the Akatsuki's plans".

"That is true. That is why you'll have more than one hitai-ate. One that is scratched when you are on missions for the Akatsuki. And another- your original- for when you are 'spying' on Konoha. If you go on missions for Konoha and you come upon an enemy. Kill them to avoid confusion and suspicion on either end," Hiruzen continues. "Any other questions?"

"...When do we start?" I question.

"At the end of the third round of the Chunin Exams. You will leave as soon as everything is settled. You will have to tell those you choose to tell tonight while everything is still fresh in your minds. Choose wisely. On the off chance should anything happen to me, Tsunade will be my successor and someone will be sent out for her. I have left the information I've just told you in the hands of Jiraiya, who will most likely be the one to go get Tsunade. Should he succeed, he will pass on the information".

"And if he fails?" Itachi ponders.

"Then though string pulling and trickery...I hate to say it but Danzo will most likely become Hokage at that point. If that happens...Kill him," Hirzen sighs out. "The chance of Jiraiya's success and failure is unpredictable even for Shukaku Nara, whom was the one who helped me formulate the plan for your entrance into the Akatsuki. Therefore I want you to know now what to do if he does fail. It is not treason if I, the standing Hokage, order this. Not only that, but even if it can be considered as such, I know neither of you will be caught".

FLASHBACK INSIDE A FLASHBACK END

NORMAL FLASHBACK

"And that is why we have you gathered here, in this very house. Doing it at our place, Kakashi, would risk someone over hearing this story," I tell them. I was the one to recall everything, seeing as Itachi decided we needed something munch on.

"So...You and Itachi are basically risking your lives for not only my safety...But the village's as well?" Naruto confirms.

"That's correct, Naruto-kun," Itachi speaks up from my side. It's he and I on one couch, and Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke on the other couch across from us and on the other side of the coffee table.

"Then let's go together! We can take them! I'll help you!" Naruto insists.

I sigh, "You don't get it, Naruto. They want you. If you were to go, you'd be their main target and they're all S-ranked criminals. We can only do so much". He grumbles at me, unhappy with such a fact.

"Why do you two have to do it in the first place? Why not someone else? There's plenty of other Anbu out here," Sasuke demands. He's not in the best of moods at all. He really doesn't seem to like this idea at all.

"Cross and I are two of the strongest shinobi Hokage-sama has to offer towards this plan. We complement each other well when fighting and in general working together. Kakashi would be coming with us if it weren't for the fact that he is a Jonin instructor and therefore he cannot divert from you nor Naruto-kun," Itachi answers simply.

"It's not like we're going to be gone for a long time all the time. It's just every now and then we'll leave the village for a little while and then come back. It's like any other mission in terms of going places," I try to explain.

"What if they catch you?" Kakashi brings up, "They'll kill you. That's what will happen". This causes Sasuke's and Naruto's eyes to widen.

"You can't go!" They slam their hands on the coffee table as one, Naruto looking at me and Sasuke meeting eyes with Itachi.

"They're not going to catch us," I sigh, eyes moving from blue to a singular black one. "And if they do, then we'll get the fuck out of there by the air. We're told that only one other person there can fly, and that's not saying much. He follows up into the sky? He's in my domain. He'll go down".

There's a sigh from the silver haired Jonin, "I don't like this...It looks like we'll have to have our date some other time".

"Date?" The other three men look my way, and my face becomes blood red with embarrassment.

Kakashi you ass. "It's nothing. Just a little experiment is all," I tell the three of them. Naruto seems excited, while Sasuke doesn't look to be any happier- why's that? I don't know- and Itachi is just interested it seems. My eyes fall back to Kakashi and I nod, "If you want we can go on it tonight or we can wait until Itachi and I have succeeded and do the date in celebration".

There's an eye smile from him to myself, "Why don't we do the second one? We do both have as student to train for the third round after all".

END NORMAL FLASHBACK

And that's how I got here, to be standing in front of a bunch of men along with Itachi. He's taken on an emotionless and analytical personality and turned it into his own as to help cover up his more so passive personality. Me? I've taken to using my title to help create my personality. One that is quick to anger but not quick to just suddenly lashing out. A person who takes no shit from no one. Not that far from my own personality, that last part, but the whole quick to anger thing? Not really. In reality I'm a playful person and sadistic in a fight. But for these guys, I'll have to simply be ruthless and quick to kill or barge in. I should be able to hold a personality like that up.

Like I said a few moments earlier. I'm standing here, in a cave, in front of multiple men. All of them save one I can make out the looks of perfectly fine. The one on my far left of the line up is a tan skinned and tall man, and for now I dub him the tallest of the group. He, like any other well trained and hard working shinobi man, has a muscular build from the looks of things even though he wears a cloak with red clouds lined in white on it. He wears a white hood and a black mask- from what I can see over the brim of the cloak's collar- leaving his eyes which have red sclerosis and green pupilless irises. He wears a hitai-ate around its namesake like most shinobi do, it being of Takigakure which has as scratch through it. I can see that on his finger nails is a dark, almost blood, red nail polish, and on his left middle finger is a ring with the kanji for "green".

Next to him is a man with his cloak open to show both the necklace around his neck, the hitai-ate for Yukigakure with a scratch through it, and his bare chest. He has medium length silver hair that's slicked back and his eyes are purple, something I've never seen before. His complexion looks to be pale, but not as pale as Itachi's, more so like my own. I cans see that his fingernails are painted a dark green color. On his left index finger is a ring with the kanji for "three" on it in orange. The look on his face makes me realizes that not only will the personality I'll be acting like will hate him, but so will the real me. He looks likea complete asshole. He's good looking, I'll give him that, but I'd rather tell him to suck his own dick than even think about talking to him flirtatiously.

The next one my eyes are drawn to reminds me of a fish. He is a very tall man, looking to be muscular too which wouldn't be surprising seeing as it looks like he's gotta carry around a giant sword like Zabuza did. As said, he reminds me of a fish, mainly a shark with blue-gray skin and small white eyes that seem to have gills near them. I wouldn't be surprised if he had actual gills somewhere on him. He's grinning at us, so I can see the sharp teeth in his mouth, something else that reminds me of Zabuza. His hair is blue, and styled kind of like a fin. Over whatever clothing he's wearing is the a black high collared cloak with long sleeves that seem to almost cover his hands. I can see his fingers are painted a dark purple for whatever reason, and on his left pointer finger is a ring with a kanji for "south" on it in yellow. On his forehead is a scratched out protector for Kirigakure.

The next one to his left is a man that has slanted blue eyes and long blonde hair that reminds me of Naruto due to the exact color. This hair is long and worn in a half ponytail while the rest hangs down with a bang covering his left eye. He looks on the shorter side, closer to my and Itachi's heights if not Kakashi's height. On his forehead is a scratched through protector for Iwa, showing that that's where he came from. Like Kisame and the other members, he wears a long cloak that covers his hands and has a wide brimmed collar like Sasuke's and Itachi's shirts that come up to the mouth at least; black with red clouds lined in white on it. On his fingers and toes is black nail polish, while on his right index finger is a teal ring that has the kanji for "blue".

To this guy's left is actually...A woman. She seems to be the only woman of the group, and I applaud her ability to not kill all of them by now. She's a fairly pretty woman from what I can see, being tall, a bit shorter than myself though. Her hair is a blue color that's darker than my own summer sky blue- hers is like a winter sky blue- and amber eyes with lavender eye shadow and a laret peircing. In her hair is a paper flower of a light blue color, and it looks like she's one of those naturally stoic people- something that reminds me of how I've seen most Abume's look. She wears what is probably the uniform cloak for this place and a rind on her right middle finger with the kanji for "white". Her finger nails are painted orange.

The next to last guy has wide brown eyes and short red hair which is some what messy looking, but not quite 'just rolled out of bed' messy. He looks to be yet another stoic person- geeze, Itachi will fit right in. I don't see any hitai-ate, so I couldn't say what his former village was. However he wears the standard cloak. On his left thumb is a purple ring with the kanji for "jewel" on it. His nails are painted teal.

The last guy is a real work of art. At first it's hard to tell if he's actually a thing that's at least human-esque, but I see it. He has two large venus fly trap extentions that envelop his head and probably a good portion of his body by the looks of things. He looks like a living plant with green hair to boot. What's also weird is his skin tone. The right half is black. Nothing but black skin. Evne I can't see a nose or a mouth, and the eye while a dull gold has no pupil. The other half is paper white, but this time I can see a mouth and a nose so I wonder if the black has both and I just can't see them. His dull golden eye has its pupil. His finger nails are pink of all colors, and by the looks of things his toe nails are blue. On his right middle finger is a green ring with the kanji "sign of the boar".

The being in the middle of them all is transparent, with eyes of a dojutsu I had only heard about in legend and stories: the Rinnengan. The eyes that are said to belong to the Sage of the Six Paths. The transparent man, which is obviously a hologram, has spiky almost like Naruto's but no where near as spiky. I can only assume that he wears the same cloak as everyone else, due to the way I see him. Other than that he's a mystery. "Welcome back, Itachi," the man spea- Wait. What?!

"Thank you, Leader-sama," Itachi states simply, his face void of emotion.

"Oi! Why the fuck are we gathered here you pain in the ass?!" The silver haired man demands, stepping forward a bit in order to talk to the hologram. "Who the hell is the slut?"

"Go choke on your own penis you ass wipe," I snap. My head hurts. Why is Itachi already known? God damn it, has he been a double agent for these guys all along? How long has he known them? I don't understand! And if I don't understand, I've got a headache.

"What'd you say to me you cunt? You want me to sacrifice you to Jashin-sama?! I will," he grins, stepping forward as he does so, "Gladly I will".

"I'm not gonna repeat myself for someone who talks like some wanna be bad ass when he's actually just some pussy," I growl out.

Before this guy can continue our curse-off, the leader speaks again. "She will be joining us as another double agent for us against Konoha. Itachi suggested we use her, and in turn allow her to help us hunt down the Bijuu as is her wish". Rinnengan eyes land on me. "Introduce yourself".

I blink, covering up the fangs that were being bared at Hidan threateningly as he constantly glared at me. I raise a brow before shrugging and walking forward, pushing Hidan to the side none too gently. "The name's Cross. I got no last name so you're gonna have ta call me that or nothin' at all. I'm a former Anbu now Jonin of Konoha. I'm easily one of the strongest people in the village," I shrug lightly again before looking to the leader, "That's all I've got".

"Very well. Itachi. Take her to the base and give her a tour. Then come to my office when you are finished; you have a mission," the hologram speaks before disappearing

It's then that the large fish man walks up to me and leans down to meet my eyes, "You've got Orochimaru's eyes. You the result of him raping some innocent woman?"

I snarl and before I know it, my claws are unsheathed and I've got them to his throat. My other hand meets the sword he swings down at me in return, and my tail is pointed at his heart, which his hand has a hold of, "Hold your tongue, asshole. I'm an experiment that made my way out of an abandoned hide out. I ain't no child of that ugly fuck's". I can feel my chakra being happily eaten away by the sword, and my eyes narrow. Is the thing...purring? We separate, and my tail wraps around my waist again. "Keep your chakra eating blade the hell away from me," I mutter, not too deterred by how much was taken. Thank you large reserves.

"Heh. I like her Itachi. She's your new partner? She's interesting," the fish man tells Itachi casually. His eyes return to me and he gives me literally a shark's smile. "Name's Kisame". He offers hand.

I look down at the large hand and narrow my eyes before taking his hand, "Like I said. Cross". I find myself being lifted and the beginning of being thrown. However, my fingers curl and claws are placed into his hand. "Asshole. Don' think that you can get the better o' me just 'cause I'm new". Looks like I'll be keeping my claws unsheathed while here. I pull my claws out of his hand without remorse, and flick the blood off of them. My eyes turn to Itachi, "Are we goin'?"

Itachi is silent, and walks passed Kisame and I, walking literally through the back wall of the cave. So it's a genjutsu. Huh. I didn't even see let along sense it. Once through this wall, Itachi suddenly spins around and his hand latches onto my throat. Just as fast my eyes widen and my claws are pointed at his heart, while other hand meets his. Black eyes become red and black, the signature sight of the Sharingan. "Tsukiyomi,"

Next thing I know, I'm hanging by my hands on my namesake, feet tied as well, and tail pinned down. I lift my head that was once hanging when my eye opened, to see a dark world with a red sky and gray ground. The clouds and moon above are black as Itachi's hair, and before is said man. "What the hell!? Itachi! Why am I in your Tsukiyomi?!"

"Calm down," he tells me, holding his hands up, palms facing me, "This was the only way to answer your questions right away without being caught. To answer the question I know you're wondering, I will explain. I came upon the Akatsuki eight years ago, not long before we were due to take care of the issue with my family...Jiraiya-sama asked that someone keep an eye on Orochimaru; that someone was me".

"Why wasn't this explained to me by Sandaime-sama?" I question with furrowed brows as I continue to hang there.

"I honestly don't know," he replies. "I assume it was to make sure that everything seemed absolutely believable when I told Pein- that's the leader's name- of you recently joining my side and rising to become my right hand. However, now you know the truth. And I need you to be silent about it no matter what. Do you understand?"

I sigh and let my body slump against the binds that bind me, "One more question," I tell him, "...If this is in your mind...Why am I on a cross?"

Itachi smiles lightly now, dropping his hands, "I find it ironic and funny, is all. We should get going. You know how Tsukiyomi works, so don't be surprised that no time has passed in reality".

I was gonna come back with a statement about how he would enjoy the irony, but I don't get the chance as my vision swirls and shifts only to refocus and have me looking into a pair of dark orbs and a hand just under my jaw. I take a breath in through my nose only to find that- god damn Itachi smells good! Of mint and a campfire- mostly of the latter though. I can't help but take in another scent. Yup. Still smells good. He releases me and turns, his face once more stoic. I rub under my jaw where he had been holding me as I follow him through the tunnel. Upon exiting the tunnel, I can't help but be impressed. What we've come upon is a cave not unlike those of the Anbu training grounds back home. Across the cave on the right is a small stream that is not too slow nor too fast. The building itself is not a mansion, but it is not small in the slightest. It is of moderate size with simple white walls on the outside and red shutters with a black door. The grass we stand on is smooth and green, but is not lush. Itachi leads the way into the house, showing me that the first to be seen is a large living room with dark wooden floors and blood red walls. The furniture is of a nice leather with two couches sitting across from one another with a coffee table in the middle. It's not much to look at, and there's nothing but a simple TV along the far wall, but it's nice. Itachi is silent as he continues the tour, leading me into the dinning room through a swinging door on one of the living room's walls. The dinning room's floor is that of dark wood just like the living room, with a matching table and chair set, with a black stained glass table top. The walls are a dark green color, but the room despite all this darkness is well lit. Attached to the far wall from me is another swinging door; this leads to the kitchen. Said room is that of white tiles and a light blue wall set up. The counter tops are of a light tan marble, with steel eating utensils and crystaline glass wear. The fridge is large and white, just like the oven and microwave. Itachi leads the way back to the living room, and it's now that I realize that to the immediate right of the front door is a set of stairs. We go up these stairs to show a single hallway with five doors on alternating sides of the walls of the hallway that is perpendicular to the staircase and the small walkway that leads off of it as well as the hallway that seems to lead to another hallway that lies parallel to the one we're at now. It looks like, as I look down the hallway that runs off the stairs, that there's also a third hallway perpendicular to this one. We go down the left side of the room first, showing me that each door has a name on it to show whose is whose. The hallway's floor itself is that of a carpet that is a dark orange-tan color, the walls an off white. The doors of each room are an off white as well. To the right of the stairs, are three doors, with two staggered and across from one another and the third at the end of the hallway. The staggered doors say 'Kakuzu' and 'Hidan'. To the left of the stairs is the same set up, though the staggered doors on this side say, 'Sasori' and 'Deidara'. We head forward onto the second perpendicular hallway. This time to the left is the same set up but the doors say 'Kisame' and 'Zetsu'. On the right there is a door that says, 'Itachi'. The other door is blank. On to the third hallway. There is only one door to the left, and there is no bathroom in this direction. There are three doors to the right, just like the other set ups with the doors saying 'Leader' and 'Konan'.

By the time we done with the tour, we stand in front of the only door that is alone. Itachi looks to me and states, "Go to the room with the blank door; that's your room now. Stay there until I come to get you". It's after this that he knocks on the door and I take that as my dismissal.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Godaime Hokage Tsunade-sama**

I sigh as I walk into my room, opening the white door to find a room with black carpeting and blue walls that reminds me of the fire of my Aoikassai jutus. The bed is a normal king sized bed, much bigger than I'm personally used to but I'm not complaining. There is a window that leads to the outside world with curtains that match the carpet. The blankets covering the bed match the walls. While the bed is pressed up to the wall to the right of the door with the head of the bed away from the door, along the wall without the window and therefore across from the door is a dresser and a small closet. Next to the bed is a night stand. Other than that, the room is bare. I sigh as I decide to explore the closet not far from in front of me. Though when I slide open the door...There's nothing but the black and red cloak that everyone is wearing here. I tilt my head lightly. That's all we really gotta wear? I sigh before closing the door and sitting on the bed that's...Actually quite comfy. A hand with still unsheathed claws runs along the fabric, and a yawn escapes my jaws. The skin on my hands and wrists shiver as my claws sheathe themselves, coming down to being only as long as my fingers instead of double the length. I kick off my heeled sandals before deciding that I could go for a nap. It doesn't take me long at all to sleep. But that doesn't mean I'm relaxed. I've long since trained my body to sleep and still be alert. Just like any good shinobi has.

What I wake up to is my body launching itself at the unfamiliar person that my eyes only register as the blond with the half ponytail from earlier. I find my frame crouching over his own in a deadly fashion, my claws unsheathed while a hand of them is pointed at his throat. However that's not the only one who is here, as I find my tail pointed at the heart of none other than that Kisame guy. I bear fangs at the blond, eyes flickering from him to the ass decided to try and start something with me. "What the hell do you two want?" I question, a growl rolling from my throat.

"We were just curious is all, un," the blond one states and my eyes fly to him. "Didn't know you'd be sleeping".

"That was pretty fast for someone so small," the fish man chuckles, "I thought earlier was just a fluke and you being cocky". His beady eyes roam to the still pinned blond, "You wanna get off of Deidara? No need to be hostile to your new friends".

Slowly I get up, and back away from the two. The blond, Deidara apparently, gets up himself and brushes himself off. "What did you want to know that made you actually sneak into my room and wake me up?"

"Nothing much really, un, shinobi are naturally curious creatures. You up for a spar?" Deidara answers with a tilt of his head and a grin spreading across his face. "Never had a real air battle but it should be fun".

I raise a brow and cross my arms under my bust, "You can fly? Where's your wings?"

He chuckles and shows me a hand that holds a clay bird of sorts, "I can make this guy bigger. He's my wings. Nothing like yours though". He pauses, "So. About that spar?"

I open my mouth to accept, wanting to see what this guy can do. I am a double agent after all. However there's a stern and emotionless voice that speaks up from behind Kisame and Deidara, "She has no time for a spar; we have a mission". The two part to see Itachi, whose dark eyes bore into my own without a care. Damn. I haven't seen Emotionless Itachi- as the Tsu brothers call him- in a while. Not since my time as an Anbu. I forgot how scary he can be when he's like this. He's not staturely intimidating like Kisame or that other tall guy is, but it's his eyes that get to you- Sharingan or no Sharingan. "Get that cloak in the closet on," there's a flash of movement, and I catch a ring in my hand. It's like what I've seen the others wear, and now that I look at him, I see that his hitai-ate has a scratch through our village's symbol. On his person is the Akatsuki cloak, the buttons undone to his chest where his left arm rests casually. This shows me that he changed clothing completely, it being of a mesh make up with blue accents and an identical shirt of the same color and a low cut that shows the more shallow cut mesh. His nails and toe nails have been painted a purple color, and on his right index finger is a ring with the kanji for 'vermillion' on it in red that reminds me of his Sharingan. I look down to find my ring's kanji being 'sky' in the color blue of my own hair.

I look back to him before turning on my heel and quickly putting on my kunai heeled sandals- after a quick feel of the tip, I find it dull and quickly channel chakra into the seal that sharpens it by my command- before going to the closet. Out the cloak comes and onto my person it goes with my tail holding onto the ring for me as I fidget. There's no holes for my wings to push through, so I sigh and take the cloak off before laying it down on the floor and using my claws to create holes; I don't make one for my tail though. Having such a high collar is a bit odd for me, so I keep it buttoned down to my chest much like Itachi does. I take the ring from my tail and slip it onto my right ring finger, where it sits along the flesh and bone comfortably. I then look to Itachi and smirk, taking a daring look to my eyes, "Ready".

Itachi is silent the whole time we're leaving- I pause to carve my name into the door of my room with my claws, and even go so far as to put a copy of the scar on my back under my name. When we're fully out of range of the cave holding the house and the other cave in general, that's when Itachi begins to talk. "It seems that Pein is going to accept you through and through, being at my side. I've done my best to seem like one of the more loyal Akatsuki members so it makes getting him to believe me easier".

I nod once. "Those guys...Every single one of them gives off this 'don't fuck with me' vibe. Care to tell me who is who?"

"It seems you've already met Deidara, and Kisame you met twice now. Deidara is partners with Sasori, the red head. Deidara fights with clay creations that are infused with his chakra and explode on his command. Sasori is a living puppet, and a puppet master in general. You were lucky you got to see his real self; the puppet he normally resides in is not so good looking. Kisame, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, is partners with the plant man, Zetsu. Normally Zetsu does spy work, and Kisame does solo missions; but they work together well when they're put on a mission together. Hidan is that silver haired man you got into a fight with verbally; he's a strict follower of Jashin- a religion based around the fact that not slaughtering things is a sin. His partner is Kakuzu, the tan skinned man. Finally, there's Konan who is Pein's partner. I'm the only one other than Konan who has seen Pein in person". All of that was Itachi's explanation. He continues, "Our mission is to catch up to Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sama and help them upon 'higher up' orders. We will do that, but the main reason we're going there for the Akatsuki is to study Jiraiya-sama and find his weaknesses as well as Naruto-kun's. You were his teacher so I'm sure you know plenty of them. Zetsu has given me knowledge of where Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sama last were. We'll travel at a fast pace until we reach that point and then we can more so take it easy".

"I'm assuming that I have to tell the truth to Pein or else he's gonna see through it and question why I lied?" The leader of an S-ranked organization has to be clever as ever so of course he'd see through bull shit in no time. Still, I agree to moving at a fast pace; I don't mind.

"Correct," he tells me. It's silent for about an hour, with us moving at basically full speed in order to make it to our destination. And, thanks to the level of our speed, we mange to make it there in about four hours. It's not until we jump from the final tree and start walking on the path way we come to that Itachi begins to speak again. "So tell me. Kakashi mentioned a date when we told us of what would be going on. What was that all about?" There's a small smile on his lips, and his dark eyes are directed in my direction.

My face becomes a bright red and I scratch my nose in embarrassment and smile shakily. "Well...It was brought up during our mission to Nami no Kuni with Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. Kakashi over did it and got himself bed ridden and our hostess- the daughter of our employer- Tsunami came in at the wrong time and took us as a couple. Kakashi told the truth but in a way that insulted me. He kept on laughing as though it were a thing that would never happen. So I pointed out something that eventually lead to him asking me out. I figured it wouldn't hurt and we agreed to go on a date some time. It hasn't happened yet but when we go back...yea".

Itachi chuckles low in his throat, "You and Kakashi going a date...It sounds like it will be nice". His eyes trail to me as they had been looking ahead during my short story. "I'll tell you now...You're like an older sister to me. And I consider you family through that bond. That makes you an honorary Uchiha as well...So, as your honorary Clan Head let me say this: I like Kakashi, I really do. But if he ends up breaking you somehow, I won't hesitate to kill him".

The fact that the young man considers me an honorary Uchiha is amazing enough. But to find that he feels I'm like an older sister is even more astonishing. We haven't spent time together in so long. How is it that I gained these positions through my absence around him? "...You really think of me that way?"

"I do," Itachi nods to me. "Even though we haven't spent much time together, the time we do spend with one another is like the time I spend with Sasuke when we're not fighting over him trying to get revenge. That's where the fact that I feel that you are a sister to me comes in. However, I silently dubbed you an honorary Uchiha the day I found out that you risked not only your life, but your wings and your claws to save my little brother and avenge my clan".

I smile lightly, "Thank you Itachi. I'm honored. I'll do you proud as your sister and as an honorary Uchiha". I pause, "What does that mean exactly?"

"It means that you are treated like a fellow Uchiha amongst my Clan- or for the time being lack there of. Should you lose use of your eyes, you will receive Sharingan implants- it admittedly isn't uncommon for us to save the eyes of those fallen- to replace your old eyes and you'll be taught to use them". Itachi answers.

It is now that I realize, "Wait...You said if Kakashi broke me...You'd kill him...Define 'broke'".

"Harms you in any way mentally, physically or emotionally to the point where you are no longer you and have to be repaired in the department he harmed you".

I blanch. That's rather specific. But I don't say anything. I don't think Kakashi and I are gonna become thing as it is. I mean. Why would we? He's not into me like that...And I'm not into him like that...Right? I shake my head. No nonsense thoughts while on a mission Cross. You know better. I look ahead, only to tilt my head in question. Is that...?

"What do you see?" Itachi questions as we continue to walk.

"I see...A blond woman...With a purple diamond on her forehead...She's rather busty, looks in about her thirties...Uhhh...There's a black haired woman carrying a pig with her. And...Naruto?" I pause, "There's...Fighting. Yea. Definitely fighting. A slug...A toad and a- Orochimaru!" This last name I growl out, golden eyes narrowing.

"Take off your cloak and seal it into one of your storage scrolls- same with the ring. Fly us to the battle field," Itachi states quickly, doing just that.

I blink dumbly, "Do I look like I can carry you?" I do as he says though, pulling a storage scroll out of my left shuriken pouch and swiftly inserting the cloak into the scroll and putting the ring in there with it. My eyes land on Itachi and I raise a brow. "Seriously. If I'm carrying you, I can't go as fast as I normally would be able to".

"So long as we get there faster than we would by foot," Itachi states.

"This is gonna be really weird," I sigh before walking behind him and jumping on his back, "I guess this is the most secure way...Jump when I tell you to. 'Kay?" Itachi looks over his shoulder oddly before nodding, bending his knees in preparation. My wings spread to their full length of twelve feet from tip to tip- I'm not a small person, I need big wings. As they swing down I let out a, "Jump!" And the Uchiha does just that. With the extra weight it's more work to get us up, but my wings manage it like the pros they are. As soon as we're at a good height, I send us forward as fast as I can, my legs around his waist tightening and my arms that are around his upper torso and under his arms do the same. "You're heavy," I deadpan.

Itachi deadpans back, "Deal with it". And of course I do. It takes us little time to get there- more than it would if I were alone but less if we were going by foot- he speaks up again. "Drop me on Jiraiya-sama's toad. I will assist them with Orochimaru. You assist Naruto with the silver haired man".

"Why don't we do it the other way around? I have a tail full of poison with Orochimaru's name on it," I sneer out, eyes locked on the useless armed snake man.

"Just do as I say, Cross," Itachi states and I huff before suddenly dropping him.

I watch as he lands where he's supposed to, and my eyes lock on the silver haired man that currently has Naruto beaten. What happened? The blond boy lays on the ground, motionless. As a result, the worst comes to mind and a snarl appears on my face. Naruto can't be dead! He can't be damn it! My heart races at the thought. Little Naruto. Hard working, always smiling Naruto. "You bastard!" I scream as I shoot down at the silver haired man, gravity pulling me down at a rapid rate and my body falling like a super speeding arrow. Through this speed, tunnel vision is gained, but I don't give a shit. The silver haired man hears me before he sees me. And when he does see me, my hand is through his gut and we're swooping back up into the air. Golden eyes meet surprised dark ones, "Bastard. You killed him. Sweet Naruto".

Blood begins to dribble from his lips, "W-who?"

"Cross," I tell him, figuring that he's wondering just how has their arm in his gut. I shift said arm, earning me a squelch and a grunt from his body and him respectively. "This isn't a killing blow," I tell him, "I've missed your vitals. However, it is a would that can be fatal if you let it bleed out". As I say this, I lower us to the ground, eyes traveling to Orochimaru as his tongue is used against him to slam hm into the ground not far from the silver haired man and I. I lower my arm and let him fall off of it with a dull thud.

"Kabuto," Orochimaru stands to his feet shakingly, golden eyes on the silver haired man apparently named Kabuto.

"Orochimaru..s-sama," Kabuto drags himself to his feet, and to his master like a dying dog.

My orbs meet Orochimaru's, molten gold with molten gold, "Ahh," the snake master hisses out as the boy barely manages to get them out of here, "Daughter dearest. I thought I heard your scream...I'll see you again some time. Be good now. Bye bye". It's with that that the two disappear.

"No...No! Come on Naruto! Naruto!" A woman's voice that isn't mine calls out from behind me. "Please live Naruto. Please!" I turn to find the blond woman I'd seen earlier from a long distance kneeling next to Naruto's frame and pleading with him for him to live.

I turn, ignoring the blood that's not mine as it drips off my claws, and slowly walk to stand over Naruto's body. I watch with dead golden eyes as I stare at the open jacket of the boy, showing his battered and bruised form. Wake up Naruto...Please, "Wake up". There is nothing. And then...A twitch of his hand. Slowly, my eyes widen, and blue eyes open up as though he had just fallen asleep. My heart skips a beat and my jaw falls open slightly, a sigh of relief coming from me.

"...Guys...?" Naruto's mouth opens up to say. Slowly he works to sit up, and I find myself kneeling on his other side, across from Tsunade. Blue eyes roam before finally landing on myself. "...Cross?"

"Hey kiddo," I smile out, "How are you feeling?"

"...Like I just got hit by one of your jutsus," the boy mutters. "Where's Kabuto? What happened to Orochimaru?"

"They got away Naruto," Jiraiya answers from Tsunade's side.

Naruto now looks to the blond woman and grins, "You're still here...I won the bet". What bet?

Tsunade nods, a smile on her lips, "That you did. I'm coming home with you guys. As Godaime Hokage". She stands, "We should get a move on, it's a long walk back to the village from here". Her eyes land on Itachi and I. Jiraiya in the mean time helps Naruto to his feet. "I've been told by Jiraiya what's going on with you two...Are you sure you want to continue through with this?"

Itachi is the one to answer this, "There is no turning back for either of us; what must be done, must be done if it's for the safety of the village".

There's a single nod from the woman, and after that we set off with Naruto getting carried by Jiraiya. I smile at the sight, seeing the content look on the blond's face as he sits there and rests his head on the man's back. If I didn't know better, it'd be like watching father and son. I'm happy for him, to have found another person who is so fond of him. Hell knows he needs all the love and affection he can get from those around him. He's spent enough time being scorned.

A number of hours' travel finds me in a place I haven't been in a very time. Well...I've never been to this particular place, but the place in general I have. The warm water feels soooo good on my skin, and I can't help but let out a low moan of pleasure from the feeling. I lean far and deep into the hot spring water that the hotel we're staying at tonight has so kindly allowed us to use. Luckily there's no co-ed bath, or else Jiraiya would be trying to get into there and bothering poor innocent normal women. My head leans back on the edge behind me, and my twelve foot wings spread out nice and wide. The water is good for the skin that covers them, just as it's good for the rest of my skin. My hair is loose from its braid, floating both behind and around my frame from within the water. My eyes close, and I just...Relax.

"Orochimaru called you 'daughter dearest'," a feminine voice speaks up from my side, making me slowly open a golden eye and find that Tsunade has made her way next to me- not exactly next to me do to my wing on that side, but close enough. Damn. I didn't even hear her until she spoke up. She's not a Sanin for nothing though.

Still, golden eyes that I know glow in the darkness of the area we're in- after all, we are outside and it is night time and there isn't much lighting as it is- peek through thick lashes. "If you're worried if I share blood with him or not, don't worry about it. The only thing I have from him creating me in a tube is his eyes and nothing more. Even if I did have more of his DNA in me than that...I still wouldn't consider him a father".

Tsunade is silent for a moment before nodding, "I see. I would be lying if I said that that doesn't relieve me. By a great amount really". She pauses, "If I may...How is it that you became a shinobi of Konoha?"

I smile lightly, crossing one leg over the other from under the water's surface. "Kakashi found me...Way back when he was fifteen- he's twenty three now. Eight years ago...He found me in Orochimaru's most recently abandoned hide outs, and he took me home like a child would a stray cat or dog. He showed me to Sandaime-sama and he told Kakashi to take me to the hospital. I was asleep during this time; I didn't wake up until later in the night. Kakashi named me Cross...For whatever reason. And then he taught me the base of everything I know. Including how to be social, and how to talk".

"So you were a child in a ten year old's body," Tsunade assumes.

I chuckle and shake my head, "I'm not eighteen, Hokage-sama. I'm actually twenty one; I'm not human, and my body doesn't age".

Her eyes are wide now. "Are you saying...You are the immortality he's been looking for?"

My brows furrow. He's looking for immortality? I just thought he was some asshole scientist shinobi with a God complex. Figures. All assholes like him want immortality so that they can be assholes forever. "...No...I'm pretty sure I can die from fatal wounds. I've never been sick though, and I'm pretty sure poison is a no go".

"Have you...".

"Ever tried fatally wounding myself? No. But I have had some pretty bad wounds in my life. None of them fatal but pretty bad all the same. I remember one time I got a good gash in my side, and I almost bled out. I felt heavy and really tired. If that's what dying feels like then...I'm not the immortality he's been looking for apparently".

"That's good. If you were...You'd be a target for more than just him".

"I know". Trust me...I know.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Fuck My Luck!**

You know things are bad when you get home from a mission your Godaime Hokage has given you, only to be told to literally fly towards the Valley of the End and save whatever Konoha shinobi is fighting. Not only that, but you know it's pretty damn bad when your country has to ask another ally country to use their shinobi to save their own people. I scour the land below me, finding Saiai helping a wounded Choji- he looks horrible; better go faster. As I go along further, I find Nikun helping Neji, whom isn't at all in the best shape either. Neji? In bad shape? I bite my lip hard, ignoring the blood that dribbles from my lower lip as a result, and push myself all the faster again. I stop, looking down at what I see. A bleeding Kiba carrying Akamaru away from two...Monsters. That's what they look like. Monsters. I snarl. How dare they hurt my fellow Konoha shinobi! My wings furl, and I dive like a bird of prey. I land much harder than I normally would, but I don't really give a fuck. When the dust I managed to kick up clears, I stand in a small crater with my wings spread to their fullest to block the two monsters from getting to Kiba and Akamaru.

"Don't move," I tell Kiba, looking back at him, quickly assessing the damage done to him. Stabbed in the stomach by the looks of things. Shit. That's not good at all.

"C-Cross-sensei?!" The boy sputters out through a mouth full of blood.

"Hush".

"What's this? Someone trying to protect the punk? Move aside so we kill them!" One monster demands. He has red skin, a face like I've seen festival demon masks look like, white hair and a single horn to go with dark eyes.

The other monster looks exactly the same as the first, though he moves forward as though he's intimidating. "No worries. We'll just kill this bitch and let the brat bleed out along the way".

I growl, "I'm sorry, I have no time to wait for you two to figure out what you're going to do". If I wait, Kiba's gonna bleed out. My hands that currently have sheathed claws fly through a set of handsigns that only I know. I look over my shoulder, "Kiba. How are you holding up?"

"I...Don't think I'll be able to help," Kiba tells me, "But I'll try". He begins to stumble forward, hand to his gut.

"No. You stay where you are. Think you can keep your blood in you a little more?" I get a weary nod as my hands hold the single sign. "Good. Daishi no Fuin: Kai". I shut my eyes as suddenly my body feels very light, and my heart begins to beat rapidly before just as quickly calming down. A large wave of gold colored chakra is released from my person, and my body shivers with power. The wave of chakra smashes into the enemy, knocking them back mercilessly. My hands then speed through another set of- a total of 67- handsigns, stopping on bird. "Aoikassai: Kindan no Kassai: Jigoku Dai Nana Jigoku Wa!" As though directing for a large group of people to stand, my hands raise from below my belt- so to speak- to high above my head. What follows my command and my concentrated chakra is not blue fire. No no. Instead, it is white fire. White and hot as the sun's core. When the white fire wall is risen, I feel my hands begin to burn- a side effect of this jutsu and any like it- and as though pushing an actual wall, I step forward and push with my hands, grunt included. The two monsters have no chance, the fire raging forward like a tsunami. I don't have to look their way to know that they're dead. Anything that touches that fire...Is deemed dead. I turn, faster than I'm used to moving, and look to an utterly amazed Kiba Inuzuka. I smile, "That's my strongest jutsu right there S-ranked. I had no time to fight them; you need immediate care". It's with that said, I know I disappear from his vision before suddenly appearing in the sky with him in my arms and being held bridal style; my tail is around Akamaru in some sort of harness hold. My wings push, and my world swims with tunnel vision. I push harder, eyes set on the village ahead of us. When we land, I dig my heels into the ground, only to hear a snapping sound that makes my eyes widen. I look behind me to find that in stopping, I created a small crater in the ground, bigger than when I landed in front of Kiba, but not significantly large, and in that crater are two...kunai. I look down to my feet. Ahh shit, they broke! I'll have to get them fixed later. With the fast movements that this state allows me, I rush into the hospital and demand. "Medic!" We are rushed, and Kiba and Akamaru are taken from my hold. I turn to leave.

"Cross. Where are you going?"

"Before I landed, I saw fighting at the Valley of the End. I'm going there," I turn and tell the doctor that spoke up. The very man that was the first to discover my lack of being human. Kurogo Kyuzo; a doctor of exceptional skill. "You won't stop me, Kurogo-sensei," I tell him lightly before leaving the building. As I take off one more time, I pant, feeling sweat drip down my forehead and fly behind me in the wind. Tunnel vision consumes me again as I travel for a single destination. My face twitches shortly into a snarl, and my body shivers before a feral growl rips from my lips. I cover my mouth with a hand that has claws that were unsheathed without my say so. Another feral growl comes from me again, but this time it's muffled by my hand. Shiiiiiit. As my tunnel visioned eyes find the Valley of the End, they also find four familiar figures. My wings furl to my back, and my body flies towards the earth like a bullet. Seconds before I crash into the ground, my wings flare out and I land heavily, just like I did the last two times. Itachi and Kakashi stop in their tracks. On their backs are Sasuke and Naruto respectively.

"...Cross...?" Kakashi questions, seemingly unsure about who I am.

"Cross. What are you doing here?" Itachi seems more aware of what I did.

My hands fly through unknown- to them- handsigns before one slams onto my chest. "Daishi no Fuin: Chikai". My body shudders as though going through a seizure before a shuddering gasp comes from my lips. And then a sudden wave of exhaustion rushes over me. I shake my head before picking myself up from the slumped position it apparently put itself into. "I saw the explosions. What happened?"

"Sasuke tried to defect," Itachi states, looking over his shoulder to his brother's form. Is that a broken jaw I see? Did Itachi do that? "Naruto stopped him with the help of some of his friends. Kakashi and I were sent out here to get them as soon as we stepped into the village from missions of our own".

"Naruto stopped him?" My brows shoot up into my hair line. Naruto broke Sasuke's jaw...Shit.

Naruto looks to me me from Kakashi's back, blue eyes bleary and tired. "I had to break nearly every bone in his body," he tells me, making my jaw drop.

"And your bones?"

"Okay". He tells me with a proud smile. I return the smile and gently ruffle his blond hair.

"That's my student," I praise, genuinely happy that he actually succeeded in doing such a thing. Proud is probably a better term. I look to Sasuke's battered form, "Why'd he defect?"

"Revenge is my best guess," Itachi sighs and turns his eyes forward, determined not to let his eyes stray to the battered boy on his back.

I sigh. "Damn it. The brat is really determined, huh?" I scoff and look to Itachi next time, "Next time he even so much as thinks about revenge, you should turn his brain into temporary mush".

Itachi raises a single black brow, "You think that would be helpful?"

"You're right," I sigh, "...What about when his brain isn't mush?" I get a look from the older Uchiha and hold up my hands innocently. "Sorry, just trying to lighten things up a bit". And it's not just for you, either. For the rest of the time that we walk, we're silent, myself in between the boys even up until we get to the gates of Konoha. The guards don't bother to stop us, and we continue on with getting to the hospital. While Tsunade takes Naruto, it's Shizune- Tsunade's right hand woman as well as student- that takes Sasuke. After all, it looks like it's just a body of broken bones for him.

The next day finds me in Naruto's room, the boy bandaged from head to toe but as wide awake as ever. Having just entered, I'm surprised to see him in the condition he's currently in. Able to sit up and move almost normally. "Morning Naruto," I greet with a pleasant grin.

"Cross-sensei!" The boy greets with an award winning smile, making me chuckle slightly. He tilts his head, and gingerly moves his torso to the side a bit in an attempt to see what's in my hand behind my back. However, the wing on that side spreads to block his view. The result is a pout. "Cross-sense. What do you have behind your back?"

I grin and demand, "Close your eyes". He continues to stare at me and I sigh, my body slumping over dramatically. "Come on Naruto. I'm not going to kill you or anything. You know that. Just close your eyes real quick. I promise it's something you'll love". It's at this statement that he actually listens to me this time. "Hold out your hands". I only get one hand. I guess the other one was hurt worse than the other. Silently as I can, I remove the object and place it into his hand, standing at his bed side. "Okay, you can open your eyes".

Blue orbs lock onto the object I've placed into his hold, "A scroll...?"

"Open up it up and smear some of your blood on it then concentrate some chakra into the scroll," I direct. He looks at me as though I were asking him to stand on one hand right now. But still, he does as told. The result is a large poof, and smoke surrounds us. When it's gone, the boy's eyes are wide. And excited.

"Ramen! Loads and loads of ramen!" He cheers happily. Stacked neatly and with wooden boards between each bowl that's stacked on to is bow after bowl of Ichikaru's ramen. I smile at the absolutely delighted look on the boy's face as he looks to me. "How did you get so much?"

"I'm back in the Anbu Corps. We lost a lot of men and women during the surprise invasion by Otogakure and Suna. So my pay's gone up. Paying for this much ramen is nothing for an Anbu Captain such as myself".

"You're an Anbu Captain?!" Naruto questions, already reaching forward for a bowl, snapping apart the chopsticks and saying a quick thanks before eating. "I thought you were a normal Anbu!"

"Not any more I'm not. Sarutobi-sama let me turn the position down; Tsunade-sama isn't quite as kind," I tell him. "So...I guess you could say that this is also a 'goodbye' present as well".

The boy stops eating, putting down the chopsticks as the bowl has been resting in his lap. "What do you mean, 'goodbye'? You're not leaving the village for a really long time again...Are you?" The look on his face says 'you better not be'.

"No Naruto. I'm not leaving for a very long time like last time. I'm just...Not your teacher any more. Other than begging Sarutobi-sama to be able to, I wasn't there just to teach you with Kakashi. I was there to help make sure that you didn't go out of control while Kakashi focused on helping Itachi keep Sasuke from going down the wrong path".

Naruto questions, "How were you supposed to do that? Are you secretly a seal expert like Ero-senin?" Ero-senin? Who...Oh. Pft. Jiraiya. He's the only one who fits such a title.

"No. I'm no seal expert. However, for whatever reason my chakra and the Kyubbi's resonate well together. Meaning that my chakra makes the fox's calm. I think he likes me," I chuckle a bit at the end.

"How do you know?" Naruto questions.

"Well...Are there ever some things that you remember feeling, but don't remember when you first felt them? Like complete and unadulterated fear or rage?" I question.

"...Yea," Naruto tells me.

"The fox has taken control of your body before when you felt those things and you've lashed out at the villagers before. I think it was your fifth birthday...They were coming after you and I was coming home from a mission. I found you, and in order to scare the villagers further away from you when they were trying harder to get to you when you were lashing out at them, I let out a burst of chakra. Nothing big. They did run away...But...You also calmed down. After that we did a few tests and well...Here we are". Simple explanation to complex thing is simple.

"Oh...," the boy trails off.

"Listen," I tell Naruto as I step forward and place a hand gently on his head. "I'm glad I found you that day; it changed my life for the better. And it made things more interesting". I pause and place a feather light kiss on the side of his face, "I promised Itachi that I would go visit Sasuke, and then I have that over due date with Kakashi that I have to get ready for. I'll come back tomorrow with more ramen if you like".

The boy beams to me and nods. "I'd love that!"

I laugh a bit before closing the hospital room door behind me, "Deal," I tell him, and close the door fully. Simply for the safety of the two boys, not knowing how they would be towards one another when they woke up, Sasuke's room is on the other side of the building. I make my way through the hallway, my white kunai heeled sandals clicking against the tile. That's right. I'm wearing my white outfit today. On account that yesterday the kunai on my black heeled sandals broke and they're currently at a blacksmith's to get fixed. Cost me just about an arm to get the guy to agree to doing it, but I was willing to pay the amount he demanded; those are some good sandals damn it. So still, here I am in white clothing rather than my usual black. I knock on the door lightly before entering, finding the room empty save for Sasuke whom is...Surprisingly awake. "Hey," I gently greet, sliding the door closed behind me.

"Hey," his jaw moves slowly, gingerly as though he's afraid to re-break.

I sigh and pull the chair next to the bed forward, swinging it on its front two legs as to spin it around so that I can straddle it and over all sit on it backwards. My arms rest on its back and my chin on my arms as I look down on him. "Looks like Shizune did good in mending the bones," as a student of Tsunade's should be able to do with little trouble.

"Yea," he agrees, "She fixed the bones completely, but the pain is still there". Oh. So that's why he's immobile. "How's Naruto?"

I shrug lightly, "He's okay, moving around better than yourself but okay. You did quite the number on each other. He broke just about every bone in your body, and you practically ripped his heart out with a Chidori- failed to and gave him a good bit of internal bleeding instead, but still".

There is silence and then, "Aren't you going to yell at me? No one's been yelling at me for being stupid or selfish or anything like that".

"Sasuke," I shuffle a bit in my seat, "You have to understand...All of those who haven't yelled at you...Most of us understand where you're coming from. We'll start with Tsunade-sama first. She lost not only her brother, but the love of her life to the enemy during those times. Don't you think she'd want revenge of some sort? Sure she would. But instead of thinking on that, she just thought on how she couldn't heal her lover or brother. That sent her down a different wrong path, but it didn't leave her with nothing. There's Kakashi. During the Third Shinobi War, the enemy killed his friend whom ended up giving him that Sharingan eye of his. I'm sure he wanted revenge at some point. And yet all he focused on was the fact that he failed to protect his friends. Itachi? He's in the exact same boat as you. He lost his entire family save his only brother to one man who took them all down in a single night. You thought you had it bad? He would have been able to at least hold his ground long enough for back up to come along, and yet he was away on a mission, where he couldn't do his duty to his family. What about Naruto? You know what he is now and just why he's so hated within the village. He of all people deserves revenge. Yet here he is, a shinobi whose job is to protect the very people that hate him. And while my reasons are minor compared to his, I'm in that group too. I was created in a tube, Sasuke, a damn tube. I have no blood family. I have no life prior to that tube. I would give anything to kill Orochimaru if I could. But for one, I'm a bit too weak. And two, I'm not gonna go hunting for him. Revenge is a path that brings you nothing in the end". The boy is silent. "Tell me kiddo," I prompt, "What pushed you over the edge?" There's a mumbling from his mouth. I know his jaw hurts, but he was talking just fine a second ago. "I'm sorry? Try that again". More mumbling, not much louder than the first time. "Sasuke, really? Out with it man!"

"I wanted to get stronger so that I could prove myself to you!" He finally lets out.

I blink once...Twice...Three times before opening my jaws for a reaction, "What?"

The Uchiha scoffs and lets out a long huff, "I...Like you alright? I've liked you ever since you protected me from him. I've always thought you were beautiful and strong and just over all perfect ever since that day. I trained as hard as I could so I could get closer to you in power and protect you instead of the other way around. This place didn't make me stronger fast enough. And Orochimaru promised to make me strong enough to protect you and take him down". Another one...? Really? You gotta be _fucking_ kidding me. This is seriously getting annoying.

I blanch, "Oh...Um. Thank you, Sasuke, that's rather flattering but...You do know I'm eight years older than you, right? By the time you turned ten, I was already drinking and having a good old time with Kakashi and Asuma and the others".

"Yea, but your body doesn't age...You could wait for me," Sasuke insists. "Wait for me, and I'll show you how much you mean to me".

I blink twice, and then sigh. "I'll tell you what, Sasuke. You stay here in this village, where if you work hard you're sure to get stronger- and here you can get taught Uchiha clan jutsus by Itachi- and higher in rank. If in three years you're able to fight on par with me, and I'm still single, I'll go out with you. I'll date you in other words and we'll be boyfriend and girlfriend. It won't be too weird I guess since like you said, my body doesn't age".

This seems to get Sasuke to give me all of his attention. Every single drop of it, "What if you do have a boyfriend?"

"Then...Well I don't know. I'll...I'll leave him for you. How's that sound? And if he protests to the deal I make with you today...Then you can fight him. If you win, I go with you. If he wins, I go with him. Deal?" I would never really leave my boyfriend- if I had one- for Sasuke, but the boy needs more than just the potential for power gained from this village to hold on to and keep him in here. He needs a lover or a potential lover. Someone to hold on to other than family that'll keep him here. I'm willing to play the part if need be. It just so happens that indeed it's needed for me to do so. The boy is silent for a good five minutes. And for that time, I think that he's going to turn down my suggestion.

But then...Oh _then_...He decides to demand something that I never thought he'd demand. "We'll seal the deal with a kiss when I'm out of the hospital".

I blink twice, brows shooting up passed my hair line in surprise, "I-I'm sorry? A-A kiss?" I haven't had my first one yet! Damn it! I refuse to give it to a kid who I'm only going to play pretend for. That sounds dark and mean, but you try playing the anchor for an Uchiha bent on revenge and tell me how willing you are to give him your first kiss. "How about a handshake? That's how most deals are sealed you know".

Sasuke makes a confirming sound. "This isn't like most deals. I want a kiss. Nothing less". His words are as deadpan as usual, though his voice isn't droning as it normally is. While it's mostly droning, there's a bit of...Want in the tone? I'm not sure. "It's either that or no deal".

I bite my lip on the inside and ponder for a moment. He's bound to get over the pain in three days at least. That gives me three days to get over the fact that I'll be giving my first kiss to a thirteen year old revenge bound, me-obsessed, Uchiha boy. "Alright," I tell him after a silent moment or two. "We'll seal the deal then". Damn it all. I offer him a smile even though I'm freaking out in my mind. "Until then...You focus on healing. Alright?" He nods and I widen my smile. "Atta boy. I'll come visit you when I can- Anbu duties and all. If nothing else, next time we see one another...We'll seal the deal then". I stand, spinning the chair back to its proper position, and offer him one more smile and a nod in farewell before exiting the room. I manage to keep my cool until I'm out of the building. And then, "Shit! Shit shit shit shit sssshhhit!" I take off into the sky, and fly my way at top speed for Hokage Tower. When I get there, I don't bother to go for the front door, and I barely stop to open the window and make my way into the room.

"What the hell?!" Is Tsunade-sama's demand as I make my way into the room. When she finds that it's me, she glares, "Do you really have to fly into the room literally?" She motions to the papers I've scattered from her desk angrily.

"Sorry ma'am," I tell her before beginning to swiftly picking up the papers. "What's the psychosis on Sasuke?" I question quickly as I work.

"The psychosis on Sasuke...? Nothing worthy of major notice when you take away the revenge part out. With the revenge part, he's not completely sane but that also isn't something major enough for him to need medication to keep himself stable. Why? Is something wrong with him?"

"Ohhhh I don't know," I tell her as I slap the last of the papers on her desk in a messy pile. "How about the fact that he has a hero complex the size of the god damn continent?!"

"A...Hero complex you say?" Tsunade raises a brow. "And who might this hero be?"

"Me! I emphasize. When Tobi attacked the Uchihas- tell me you know about that-," I get a nod, "Good. Anyways, when Tobi attacked, I think I got to him a bit late because he was dead to the world after I finally got away from Tobi and got Sasuke to the hospital. And when I came back around Sasuke's graduation, I talked to Itachi to see how the boy was doing. He said Sasuke didn't remember anyone named Cross saving him, but instead an angel of all things saved him. That's all he referred to me as- 'my angel'. Don't you think that's a little note worthy?!"

"Yes but that-," Tsunade tries.

"I went to visit him today, after I went to go see Naruto. I managed to get the truth out of him as to why he tried to defect. You wanna know what he told me? These are his exact words: 'I wanted to get stronger so that I could prove myself to you'. Not Itachi, not Kakashi and definitely not Naruto. Not just so he could get revenge on Tobi, either. Who the hell did the brain scan on this kid? They did it wrong because apparently they missed the little tidbits I got". Tidbits my ass. More like huge ass chunks.

Tsunade sighs before rolling her fingers over her temples, resting her elbows on the desk before her as she does so, "And what would you like me to do about it? Give him medicine? I would, but I'd have to assess your words myself. If he did end up needing medicine, then it's not like he would actually take it. People who don't realize that their mental state isn't as stable as they think it is don't take well to being told such news. Therefore they revolt and don't do as their told. The best I can do is reassess him and go from there. Is that all you needed?"

I sigh myself before my shoulders slump. Why does something tell me that the reassessment isn't going to go as I want it to? "Yes ma'am. Sorry for barging in like I did". I bow before walking to the window and jumping out with a flourish of my wings.

"God damn it Cross!" I hear after me. I think I might have sent her papers flying again by accident. Oops.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Festival **

I sigh as I step out of the shower, body and hair wrapped up in a towel. I've been in there for an hour now, making sure that every inch of me is clean, and that my legs don't have a single hair on them. I purse my lips as I look in the mirror at myself. Not wearing my hitai-ate as I normally do, around my neck and tight like a choker, makes me feel naked. However, I'll have to deal with it. The other day, Kakashi and I agreed to go to a festival in a near by village; no shinobi gear, no hitai-ate, not even our usual shinobi clothing. It's a bit of a traditional-wear festival, too. That means that I don't get to wear my leather at all. I look to the yukata that I decided I'd wear hanging in the closet. I don't want to have to cut holes in the back just for my wings, the fabric is so nice. However, it's not like I can just will my wings away into a hiding spot like I can sheathe my claws. It doesn't work that way. My eyes then trail to the hair tie I left on my nightstand before my shower. Braid or no braid? I look to the mirror and then to the yukata again before deciding that I'll let my hair stay unbraided for the first time in a while. And so, let the brushing of my hair commence. Being five foot seven and having hair down to the backs of your knees means that you have a lot of hair which in turn makes it tedious to brush- that's why I normally keep it in a braid- especially if your hair is fine as mine is. But, when it is all brushed out, I can't help but realize just how pretty my hair is, being long and wavy. I smile as for a few moments I just play with my hair, running my fingers through it and loving how shiny and healthy it is. However, I have a yukata to figure out how to put on. So I stand and set to work, pulling the yukata out of the closet and blinking at the pieces it has. Six god damn pieces...I'm glad I started getting ready multiple hours early. This is going to take some time. I grunt and grumble as time goes on. Apparently the white cloth is supposed to go on first. I got that much down. And then the yukata itself. However, what I don't get is the belt parts. After a while, I huff and throw my arms in the air, standing in my room in nothing but a black bra and matching underwear.

"This is bullshit!" I grumble out with a huff. "I need help," I whine to myself, looking at the clock on my wall. I only have so much time to get ready. And then I need to actually get there. With a sigh, I cross the middle and index fingers of both hands over to make just that- a cross. "Kagebushin no Jutsu," I mutter simply. There's a poof of smoke, and next to me is a white leather clad me. "Go find Kurenai," Yugao is on a mission- that's all she's ever done ever since Hayate died-, "And tell her that I need her help. Only tell her what with if she asks. If you can't find her, go find Sakura and bring her here. I give you twenty minutes. Any questions".

"And if not Kurenai?" My clone questions.

"...Sakura". It's then that my clone leaves in a burst of speed through my room's window. I'm left to just sit there and twiddle my thumbs. My eyes trail to the yukata one more time, this time actually taking in the sight. It is a simple article, being dotted with well detailed flowers of varying shades and tints of pinks- some even purple. At the ends of the long sleeves is a blue speckled tint as that is where most of the flowers are. Though there are flowers on the left side and shoulder area. The bottom hem is like the ends of the sleeves. The really thick belt is an orangish red with pink flowers on it. On the back are two holes for my wings, which I was sad to put in but also like I said before, I can't get rid of my wings- nor would I want to. My head snaps in the direction of my door; my clone just dispelled after bringing Kurenai along. My eyes widen as the information from my clone comes to me. There's a knock on the door. "Come in," I speak up as my wings wrap around my form for a little privacy.

The door opens to show me a lovely looking woman in place of the Kurenai I usually see- not that she's not beautiful normally but this...This is stunning. Her hair is down as per usual, and while she of course wears lipstick as she normally does, it's darker than usual. She herself is wearing a yukata that is of a violet color, with yellow flowers dotted all over it. The thick belt is a reddish brown, and the slip that's white for my yukata, is a light pink. "So, your clone tells me that you need help?" Kurenai laughs out lightly. "If you're trying to put on a yukata, that must mean that you're going to the festival in Saiku village. Asuma and I are going. Kind of obvious as to why I'm wearing a yukata myself with what I just said. Who are you going with?"

"Kakashi," I try to make my voice sound casual, but fail miserably as it comes out as a light squeak.

She raises a slender brow, "Kakashi? I didn't know you two were dating...Well, I guess it's kind of a given seeing as you live together".

"Ah- We're not a couple...This is...Just...A...Testing the waters sort of thing...I guess?" Why is my face bright red? Kurenai, stop giggling damn it, you're not helping me at all.

"I'm sorry," she seems to understand my try at a glare, "It's just that you're so shy about this! Normally you're so confident and strong. Especially on the battle field. Who knew Jigokuen no Taka Cross would be shy when it comes to romance?" She giggles a bit more.

"I-I'm not being shy!" I try to return to my normal self. But of course that doesn't work. Hence the voice crack. "This is...Just new is all!" I swear face, if you don't stop being red, I'm gonna hurt you. Damn it. That didn't work. Tch. This is getting frustrating. "Will you just...Help me?"

"Alright alright. Stand up and furl your wings. We're both women here; no need to cover yourself up," she complies lightly. I do as she commands, furling my wings to show my mostly naked form. "Alright. Normally you put on the socks, which I see you've already figured out. So...First up is the white shirt and skirt slips. Together they're called a 'juban'. The slip that I just put around your neck is important too". She helps me put the shirt on for the most part as the skirt is easy to do. "Then you put on the yukata. Even with this there's a certain way you wrap it around you; left over right. Make sure that everything is nice and flat; no wrinkles to be seen". I appreciate how gentle she is with pulling my wings through their holes that I made. Most people figure that since they're scalely and not feathered, they're not sensitive. But actually, they're just as sensitive when pulled the wrong way. That's why I don't use them a lot during a fight unless I have to fly. I feel her bring up the cloth up to my ankles, where as the hem was just touching the floor. "Now here's where things get a little complicated. You see this?" She holds up a thinner belt than the colorful one, "This is called a koshi himo belt. You tie it around you with it crossing behind you. And then, you pull the access cloth left over from pulling the hem up over it". And that's just what she does, hands moving fluidly and efficiently. She seems to have done this multiple times before. She then goes through with the last few steps, showing me what to do and how to do it, eventually ending with the obi and straightening me out. She walks around me to face her, and smiles, "You look awesome. Were you planning on wearing makeup?"

I shake my head, "I don't have any. Plus I'm not a makeup person," and I don't know how to use it.

"Good. You don't need makeup," Kurenai nods. "How were you planning on getting there?"

"I was going to fly; Kakashi and I are meeting there," I answer simply. I watch as she takes my brush, and begins to work it through my hair gently, straightening out the bangs that usually just barely stay in the braid unless I'm having a really tough fight or am flying super fast. My bangs frame my face, with the outer ones coming down to my chest and those over my forehead covering it and just barely covering my eyes with their tips.

"Alright," Kurenai smiles with a nod, "Then I guess my job here is done. Maybe Asuma and I will see you two at the festival".

I return the smile, and see her out of my home before glaring down at the wajari that I now have to put on. I sigh before slipping them on with a little difficulty, seeing as it's really damn hard to bend over in this. Once outside, I waste no time in taking off and into the sky, headed east for Saiku village.

I'm lucky that it doesn't take me long at all to make it there. I land in a small gathering of trees before straightening out my attire and making sure my hair isn't all over the place. When I'm ready, I leave the little tree gathering. To be honest, I was expecting him to be late again. And yet, at the entrance to the village, there he is, leaning against a pole with his arms collected in his long sleeves and crossed neatly over his chest. I can't help but notice that we match, however his color scheme is that of a dull red, the sash being a golden color and that which he wears under the yukata is black. His hair is less gravity defying due to no hitai-ate to hold it up, but it doesn't flop over too much; just enough to cover his scared sharingan eye- lucky him. Of course he's wearing his mask, though; why wouldn't he? Being that the male yukata has pants instead of a skirt going on, it must be easier to move around. Again. Lucky him.

"Kakashi," I call out once I'm about a yard away from him. His dark eye, which had been looking the other way, snaps to me, and lingers there. "You ready to go?" But I get no answer, as he's still just...Staring.

KAKASHI'S POV

I knew that when I saw her, she'd look good. Most kunoichi have the perfect body build, being trim and slim due to all the activity they do on basically a daily basis. Therefore I was prepared to see Cross looking good in her yukata when she got here. What I wasn't prepared for was the stunning creature standing before me right now. Her yukata is that of a silver color which at the sleeves and bottom hem is a silvery blue to go with the differently tinted and shaded various flowers that dot the sleeves, bottom hem and left side. The obi itself is a dull orange red, also dotted with flowers. Her hair is down and free, some of it over her shoulders and the rest trailing down her back between her wings. Even said wings look like they were specially tended to in some way. She wears no makeup which is good, because I'm not a fan of it.

"...-ashi...-kashi...Kakashi!"

I blink and shake my head, falling out of the momentary silence I was thrown into, and look to her calmly. "Let's go then," I heard her voice this whole time, it just wasn't registering completely. I offer her my hand, to which she furrows her brow and looks at it oddly. It's like she's learning to shake hands all over again. However, I'm not looking to shake hands. "Take my hand," she reaches for my right hand with her own, "Other hand".

"Other...Hand?" She raises a brow, but complies, putting her left hand into my right, which closes around it.

"Let's go then," I repeat, smiling under my mask as she stares at our coupled hands. It takes her a few minutes of me pulling her along and her focusing on our hands to realize that yes, you're supposed to curl your fingers around my hand as I did yours. I smile again.

"So...What exactly do you...Do at a festival?" She questions innocently as we walk.

My eye looks to her as she takes in the sights and smells around us, stands of food, clothing, games and everything between. "We have fun. You know how to have fun, right?" A sarcastic answer. I know she knows how to have fun.

She rolls her eyes, "Of course I do...But not here". She shrugs her shoulders. "So...Lead the way, festival fun master".

I chuckle before nodding once, eye roaming for something that I figure she would consider fun. Ah here we are. "This way," I tell her, pulling her towards a game stand. For a second I study it before speaking up to the stand owner, "I'd like a bucket of kunai please," I tell him, putting down a few ryo as is needed.

The man smiles, "Looking to show off in front of your pretty girlfriend?"

I eye smile back, "Not quite," I tell him. Not quite my girlfriend that is. "Here, Cross. The name of the game is to hit the dummies as fast as you can. The more you hit for the longer amount of time, the faster the dummies pop up. You have four minutes to throw them, and also not hit any civilian dummies that pop up- you can only hit a minimum of three before the game is over. Each dummy is worth points. By the time the minutes are up depending on your score you can possibly get a prize". I look to the stall owner, "Is that correct?"

"You know your festival games," the man laughs out with a nod. "That's right". No, I just understand what has to be done.

She stares at the bucket of kunai, "With these?" I nod. We both know she sucks at throwing these things. That's the real reason as to why she doesn't use them. She looks from me, to the bucket, and then back to me. "You've gotta be kidding me".

"Are you saying you can't do it?" I innocently challenge.

She glares, "Sure I can!" She pulls the bucket close to her so that it's right in front of her on the stall's table top. Eyes travel to the prizes she may be able to get, and it lands on a large stuffed falcon. "I'm getting that one," she states determinedly. "Start them up, Old Man," she tells the stall owner, who does as he's told. To say that she she didn't get the stuffed animal is an understatement. Not only did she not get the animal even though I got her two more buckets to try her luck with, but she also normally ended up making the hilt of the kunai hit the dummy instead of the tip. How she managed that, I have no clue. She looks to me, "One more try Kakashi". Determined woman she is.

I sigh, and place the already memorized amount of ryo due onto the counter top. "Alright...But this time I'm playing".

"What?" She growls out, obviously frustrated.

I eye smile to her, "If you continue to go, then we'll be here all night and get no where," this makes her glare even more so harshly and cross her arms under her bust. The stand master gives me my bucket due, and starts up the dummies. As opposed to my friend, I don't end up failing at hitting the dummies, nor do I end up hitting any of those supposed to be civilians. After the four minutes are up, the stand master is staring at me with wide eyes.

"You...Just obliterated my game," he tells me.

"Ahhh, sorry about that," maybe I tried too hard? I wasn't really trying at all actually.

The man smiles, "No no! Here! Pick any prize you want, young sir".

I point to a stuffed animal, the falcon to be specific, "I'll take the falcon please". He reaches the large bird down, and hands it to me. With my free hand, I take Cross' and pull her along and away from the stand even as she continues to pout at me. "Here," I offer the falcon with a literally hidden smile, my dark orb looking her way.

"What? No. You won that fare and square. It's yours," she tells me. I can tell that she's forcing the frustration out of her tone.

"I got it for you," I tell her. I really did.

She raises a brow, slowly taking the falcon from my hand and holding it close, "...Thank you". She's silent again, though I'm happy to see that she understands the concept of holding hands for the most part. It feels nice, to me, even if it's weird to her.

It's silent, and we simply walk down the path way and passed other people, "Are you going to name the falcon?"

She tilts her head. "Huh? You name these things?"

"Most women and girls, when their male escort has won them a prize and it's a stuffed animal, name them". I supply. She truly is clueless. However that's okay; I don't mind explaining things to her. In fact, I prefer to teach her how things are done. It makes being interactive more interesting.

She blinks before holding the bird out, "I'll name him...Sora". She beams, seemingly proud of her ability to name something. Her eyes land on me, "That's a good name, right?"

"It is if you think it is".

"But I want your opinion," she insists.

I pause. She wants my opinion on something so simple? Very well, "I like it," I tell her the truth. This makes her beam to me. It's not long after that, that she really starts to show a curious side that I haven't seen in years. She pulls me this way and that, wanting to try new games or see how they're played.

"Kakashi, what's that?" She questions, pointing to a lone standing wooden box with a curtain on one side. It's fairly wide but not all that tall- about the same size of the stands we've been to.

"That's called a photo booth," I tell her, leading her towards it. "What you do, is you hand the money to the booth owner," I do so, the owner this time being a young woman, "And you step into the booth behind the curtain. The person will knock on the wall they're behind ten times, giving us ten seconds to situate ourselves. And then in a succession of five, the photographer will take pictures for us. Then we give them our names and wait about two hours for the pictures to be developed. And then we'll take them with us".

She beams as we sit. "Sounds interesting. But...Situate ourselves?"

"Pose and look at the lens of that camera there," I point at the glass orb in the middle of the wall in front of us. I hear the knocking and smile to myself before continuing, "Pose being something like...This," as I hear the last two knocks, my arm wraps around her neck and pulls her close, while my other hand is placed on top of her head in the form of a noogie. She tries to fight me off as the picture is taken. "Or," I continue, knowing we have little time, "This," I release her, only to run my fingers down her sides. Her reaction is more violent than I expected. I expected her to yelp and move away laughing. But instead, she lets out a fit of laughter and squirms, retreating from my hands in the wrong direction therefore pinning herself against me. By the next two poses, she seems to understand what's going on. Seeing as for the third one, she's sitting behind me while I crouch, and her wings unfurled slightly and her chin on my forehead to make it look as though I'm the one with the wings, and she's on my back. The last two, however, make my heart thrum heavily in my chest- they're her ideas just as the third one was. Seeing as the fourth one took longer to set up, I paid the young woman extra so that she would wait. With a simple henge on both our parts, her wings are taken away, as are her claws. Where as I'm the one with wings- a white version of what she naturally has- and I have her claws- a unique feeling really.

"Alright...Now...I sit like this...," she explains, sitting on my lap with her butt on my right leg and the rest of her form across to my left leg. Her arms lift up and wrap themselves around my neck, which causes me to stiffen a bit. How is it, that my heart isn't outside my chest cavity yet? I'm unsure. "Now you...wrap your arms around my waist," slowly...I do as told, "Hold me tight," again I do as told. "And then...Wrap a wing around me- your right one". It takes me a moment to work the false wings, but it works with some explanation from her. When the picture is taken, one of my hands- with false claws unsheathed- ends up on her cheek. I didn't mean for that to happen. However, with the way she's smiling at me, I can't help but just...Get lost in those golden orbs. The last one is similar to the fourth however her simple command is, "Stay still," when the picture is taken, both my eyes are wide in surprise. Why? Because...She's kissing my cheek, right next to my lips. In that moment, my hold on her tightens. When we've finished, I get one glimpse of her as a normal looking human girl. I'm glad she's not normal, though, because she looks odd without wings or claws. The hinges are released, and we return to our normal selves before I give the woman my name and we head off. "That was fun!" Cross beams to me.

I chuckle lightly, "I'm glad you thought so. I enjoyed it as well". I look at her with a single dark eye, and can't help but chuckle a bit louder as she swings our hands like some sort of child. I haven't seen her act so freely in so long...I almost forgot what she was like when she relaxed completely. We continue to explore, eating deep fried foods, and on her part sweet things where as I get myself something not so sweet. We have to have had played all the games and looked at every one of the stands by the time we decide to call it a night. Or rather...Try to call it a night. My sharp ears perk as I hear the sound of a familiar instrument, and I smile to myself, "This way," I tell her, pulling her off of the path to the village's entrance suddenly.

"What? I thought we were going home? Kakashi?" She trails behind me until I stop in the middle of the village, finding a stage with a single instrument on it. A piano. "A piano? What's a piano doing on the stage?"

"Apparently," a familiar female voice speaks up from behind us, making us turn to find Kurenai and Asuma making their way towards us with linked arms, "It's a music competition for those who know how to play that thing. The winner doesn't have to pay for anything for the next festival that occurs here- they'll take your name and save it before anything else. And then when you come back, you give your name and you pay for nothing".

Asuma speaks up now, eyes locked on my date, "Cross, you know how to play. Why don't you give the competition a go?"

She holds up the hand that isn't holding onto mine, waving it back and forth while the other one does tighten on my hand. It takes me squeezing back at least a little bit to keep my hand from breaking in her grip. "U-uh...I don't think I should".

"Oh, come on Cross! We haven't heard you play in forever!" Kurenai pleads, red eyes wide like a puppy's, "Allow us to hear you again would you?"

"I don't think so," she insists.

I lean down to speak in her ear, "Do it, and I'll take off my mask. I know you want to know what I look like under it," good enough leverage, right?

It seems so, because her golden eyes look to my single black one with a curious intent, all nervousness gone. "Is that a promise?"

"It's a promise," I tell her, holding out my hand for her to shake, which she does, "Now. Go up there and play. They're looking for another contestant".

CROSS' POV

I stare at Kakashi for one more moment before releasing him completely, "Fine. I state," and turn to walk up to the stage.

"Are any of you sure that you don't want to give this a go? Please! Come on up! Play for us! Make us dance! Three songs per a contestant! Come please!" A young man speaks over the voices of the crowd.

"I'll go!" I state, golden eyes meeting vibrant green, raising a hand in the air.

"Ahh! A beautiful lady! Please miss, tell the rest of us, what's your name? Where do you come from?"

Once fully on stage, I speak up to let all hear, "I come from Konoha- I'm a shinobi there- my name is Cross".

"A shinobi?! It's rare that your kind manage to find time to come here. And do you have an escort?" The young man casually prompts.

I nod once, and point to Kakashi, "Yes. His name is Kakashi," I tell the man.

"Well, we thank both you and Kakashi for coming here. And in advance we thank you for playing for us. Feel free to sit and begin when you please". It's then that the green eyed man comes off the stage, and gives it to me entirely.

I sigh, and look to the instrument sitting there, and then take in another shaky breath. I sit on the unfamiliar bench, and then run my fingers over the unfamiliar white keys. Okay Cross. Just like when you're alone. No one else is there. Calm down...Calm...My fingers splay and my eyes close as I let out another calming breath. My eyes barely look down at the keys, eyes slightly opened from their closed position. And then...I play. I rock with each note, letting my fingers do the work of making the music, and letting my emotions decide on which songs to play. The first is called Mirai Nikki. It is a gentle song, a love song at the very least, and one that I personally love with all my heart. I pause, letting the last note drop from the piano's string. And then I jump into another song. This is one of the ones I can never tire of playing, due to the fact that it explains the life of a shinobi- myself included- so god damn well. The Game of Life. A perfect song for those who are forced to endure such a hard game, until their part in it is over. Fast paced and dramatic as my life has been. The third song I play has a beat that is also dramatic, but not as fast paced as the last song. This one is called Aeon. It's one of those inspiring songs that really lifts up my heart when I'm feeling worried about an on coming mission. It effects me in a way that even when I can't play it, I can listen to it in my head, and it still has the same effects. It's one of maybe five songs I know that I actually sing to. And even then it's not really singing, it's just letting my voice harmonize with the piano. When I'm done, I'm silent, and I stand before bowing to the crowd with closed eyes. It's silent. And then, cheers. I smile, the nerves coming back as I leave the stage and walk back to my friends.

"Cross that was amazing! I didn't know you could sing!" Kurenai beams to me with those red painted lips of hers.

"I uh...I don't sing often. I only know like five songs that I willingly use my voice with. It's not the best," I tell her with a small smile. I look around, feeling eyes on my back. "Can we get out of here? Being stared at by so many people makes me feel uncomfortable". Mainly because I just played in front of a bunch of strangers.

"Alright," Kakashi smiles to me, "Let's go home".

The journey home was a longer one than it was to fly, but I didn't mind. Kurenai and Asuma stayed behind to enjoy the festivities a bit longer. But Kakashi and I were ready to leave so we did. It's on the journey home that I tell Kakashi of my day before I got ready and came to meet him at the festival.

"So...He has an obsession for you; a hero complex," good. He came to the same end as I did. I've just finished telling him about my encounter with Sasuke.

I nod lightly with a sigh, "Yea...".

"And you told him what you did...Why?"

"Because I figure that if the was going to so much as leave for his version of 'love' when not even power kept him here. Why not use this 'love' for me that he has, keep him here? Hopefully he'll soon realize that he shouldn't have tried to defect in the first place and he'll stay for good without his 'love' for me having to keep him with us," I explain. I walk with my arm twined with Kakashi's, something I decided to try when I saw Kurenai and Asuma like that. It feels...Nice.

Kakashi raises a single silver brow, "And you think that'll work? What happens if you do get a boyfriend and he does beat him? Will you honestly leave your boyfriend then?"

"Hell no," I state, "I'm not shallow. However, I'm hoping what I mentioned kicks in before three years are up. That'd be nice. But if he does try to fight my boyfriend then...I'll just have to break his heart or something, I guess".

"Unless your boyfriend is stronger than him. Then you won't have to worry about Sasuke beating him. Right?" Kakashi prompts. By now, we're home. I don't know why he's walking me to my room. Maybe it's an alternative to the 'walking the girl home' thing I've heard about.

"Yea...But I don't know where I'd get a boyfriend like that, nor who it'd be. It can't be Itachi. He's like a brother to me. And if I date one Tsu brother, I date all three of them which would be kind of...Unfair no matter how okay they are with it," I sigh and shake my head. "Iruka wouldn't stand a chance, and Asuma I'm pretty sure has his eyes set on Kurenai after what I saw today. Guy is definitely a no...Damn it".

Kakashi is silent as we stand in front of my bedroom door. "What about me?"

My eyes fly to him from the floor where they were looking as I thought. "Hah?"

"I could be your boyfriend," he tells me casually, unlatching our arms and taking my hands in each of his own.

The intensity with which he looks at me makes my heart speed up, and my face become warm. God damn it. It's just like earlier today! Stupid blood flow! Calm yourself damn it! "B-But we only went on o-one date! Th-that's not enough to decide, right?"

Kakashi shakes his head, "No, it's not. But I decided a long time ago that I liked you more than just a friend, Cross," he steps closer to me, and places one of my hands over his heart. "Nothing other than a stressful fight can make my heart beat like this," his heart is pumping blood rather fast. "And yet here you are, making my heart beat as it is". He lowers his face to look into my eyes better, "What do you say? Give it a try".

Why...Is my heart beating so god damn fast?! It's beating faster than his god damn it! Too close. His face is way too close! And yet...I can't bring myself to look away or push him away. My muscles are stuck between staying as they are or pulling him closer. I don't dare leave the gaze that rests on mine. Give it a try? I take in a deep breath through my nose, only for my heart to beat faster. The scent that I take in a second time is...Intoxicating. And it's coming from Kakashi. I thought Itachi smelled good? Kakashi is the god of smelling good in comparison if that even makes sense. He smells of musk and jasmine. My god.

"Are you alright, Cross? You keep on taking deep breaths," his as always calm tone rings in my ears.

I blink and am pulled from my thoughts. My mouth moves before I can tell it not to, "Has anyone ever told you that you smell amazing?"

He's silent for a moment, "No. But thank you. May have an answer to my question?"

Oh. That. Right. That's why we're so close in the first place. Give it a try...? I bite my lip and ponder through my thoughts. Why should I, first of all? Well...Kakashi has been with me all these years, having saved my life and gone so far as to teach me the basis of everything I know. He's a great guy, with a good sense of humor when he wants to have it. He's strong, smart, good looking, a pretty good chef. Okay...Now why shouldn't I?...I find no reasons. Seriously. I could say that he's older than me, but that's not an issue and it's only by two years. That's the only reason I got. I meet his single eyed gaze one more time before, "...Yes. I'll give going out with you a try, Kakashi".

Kakashi's eye widens in slight surprise. Is that...utter glee I can see dancing those depths? That's what it looks like. Just how long has he been waiting to ask me out? "Good," he lowers his face closer to mine now, "Then I have no qualms at all about offering to take off my mask in turn for you playing the piano tonight". His hands release my own. And while one wraps around my waist and pulls me closer, the other reaches up and pulls down the black fabric that's been hiding his face from me for eight years. I have little time to look at his completely exposed face. However I don't need a long look to say that he's an utterly attractive man. His jaw line is thin but strong, his lips not too thin nor too full, and his face over all is clean shaven- not a hair to be seen. My eyes widen as I feel a pair of lips touch my own in what I've seen before and know to be called a kiss. Like with so many other things, I follow my instincts, and close my eyes, arms wrapping around his neck to pull him closer and pushing my lips against his in a returned kiss. I thought him just kissing me felt good. But this...This...This is heaven. We separate, but for once I don't care that my face is bright red. A black eye and a red and black eye meet my two golden ones. "Good night, Cross".

I smile lightly and nod. "Good night, Kakashi".


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Time Skip, Loss, Mission**

"I still don't understand just why the hell an Anbu Captain like myself doesn't get to see as much action as she damn well should," I tell the man walking at my side.

The man chuckles, a smile coming over his face in reaction to my whining. Because that's exactly what I'm doing; I'm whining like some child who didn't get to go play with the other kids out there because mommy and daddy said 'no'. "Such is the life of those of our kind," the man tells me. We walk the hallways of the building we're in, passing white wall after white wall.

I scoff. "This is why I turned the position down the first time through, Itachi. I knew that Anbu Captains had to do a shit ton of paper work, just like the Hokage". I cross my arms under my leather clad chest. "I don't understand how you've managed to do it for eight years now".

"By having more patience than you," his dark eyes meet my own, "You did well today though. How do your eyes feel?"

"My eyes?" I blink the orbs in my head before shrugging them lightly. "They feel fine. I think my body is more suited for these babies than you that's for sure. What about you? You're supposed to go to Tsunade-sama about that cure right? You think it's going to work for real this time instead of temporary stuff?"

"One can only hope," the Uchiha replies. "On that note, I think I'd better go. I'll see you around, okay?" It's here that we part, him taking a right and myself going straight.

As of last week, it's been about three years- two and a half really- since Naruto left with Jiraiya to better prepare him for the inevitable attack that the Akatsuki will be making soon. It's also been about two and a half years since...That day. What is 'that day' you ask? Simple. 'That day' is the day I lost so much, and gained little in return. I won't bother with a flash back; I try not to remember. But I will give you the shortened version. After I was fully reinstated into the Anbu, and positioned as a Captain, Tsunade sent me on a mission with the Tsu brothers, Saiai, Churitsu and Nikun who were also three subordinates of mine for team Ro- that's right, I took Kakshi's old job. It was supposed to be a simple assassination mission mission. And the only reason four of us went instead of just two at the mos, was because of how many shinobi were supposed to be there according to intel. The job was easy; we got it done in half the time we were given, and we were proud of it. The gentlemen were to take down the guards and any back up they had, and I was to take down the target. Again, the job was easy and we did it quickly and rather well.

However we didn't even come close to foreseeing a sudden attack on our squad on the way home. It wasn't just an attack...It was a massacre. The second I've been at least something of a victim of in my life. Who attacked us? The man who gave me the scar on my neck. That's who. It was obvious that I was his target, seeing as when the boys would try to stand their ground, Tobi simply threw them to the side or their attacks went through him. Like everything else did. No matter what any of us did, none of us were strong enough to take the man who killed the Uchiha clan members off- save two- in a single night. It was like he was god or something.

And then...What I was secretly praying wouldn't happen, happened. The Tsu brothers...My long time friends...They were killed. The first to go was Churitsu, surprisingly. His legs torn off by Tobi's bare hands, and his hands shattered with a single grip to each. He bled out even as I was trying to staunch the blood while his brothers went to avenge them. There was nothing I could do for him. Not a single damn thing. Before he left, he told me of how he loved me, and of how he wished he could have heard me play the piano one more time. Seeing as I couldn't put him into a genjutsu with me playing the piano, I sung for him the tune from Aeon. I kissed him with his last breath.

The second to go was Saiai, whose arms were broken a the elbow, his collar bone shattered, and his lungs pierced by his own ribs. Like his little brother, there was nothing I could do for him save try to make the pain less...Well...Painful. In leaving me and his brother behind to join his other brother, he asked for a kiss as well- one that lingered so he'd be able to remember in the next life. I kissed him full on the lips, and stayed there even as his blood flowed into my mouth; I forced myself to either let it spill between us or slide down my throat. Disgusting yes, but no matter.

Nikun was the last to go of his brothers, fighting the longest and strongest of the three. Staying by my side and falling into perfect synchronization with me. For every single breath in I took, he let out one seconds later. When my back was turned or my side exposed, he had them covered, and I him. We thought we were doing well until Tobi hit him so hard that his heart sputtered to an intimidate stop. He didn't even get last words, but like his brothers, I gave him a kiss and send a song his way.

Taking on Tobi alone despite the fact that I knew he was probably gonna kill me was the stupidest idea that popped in my head in my entire life. Let alone my entire career as a shinobi. However, I pulled a Sasuke and wanted nothing more than revenge. To say that I'm pretty sure either I got weaker over the five years I hadn't seen him for, or that he had simply been holding back at that time, is an understatement no matter which one it is. I threw literally everything I had at him. Every jutsu, every kind of kick or punch or strike that I could think of, every single drop of chakra I had, was given into trying to defeat him. The result? Getting my wings ripped off again for one. My claws? Instead of being broken off, they were peeled off my hands like some sort of fruit skin. That was a painful experience just like getting my wings torn off for a second time was. Then, he decided that it was a good idea to take my sight from me, gouging out my eyes with not a kunai or any medical tool but his own two god damned fingers. My beautiful golden eyes were taken from me. I don't care if they came from Orochimaru first; I loved them. And then he went ahead and put a kunai in both my stomach and my liver. However, the most painful of the things that happened to me, was getting stabbed by my own tail, and then having it torn off too. Tobi said that a Succubus that doesn't know how to protect her tail shouldn't have one. That's the last thing I remember after seeing him.

When I woke up, Kakashi was at my bed side, sleeping in the chair sitting up with his orange book in his lap. My body wasn't in nearly as much pain as it was right after the attack. Then again it was still in a shit load of pain. My claws grew back, but my tail never did. When I woke up, I was on my stomach. I didn't know how long I was out for, but before I could look over my shoulder and check on my wings- to see if the bone structure had come back as that would give me a rough estimation on how long I've been out for. However, in trying to look, a wave of pain passed over me and I ended up passing out again. I didn't even begin to register that I could actually see until I was out. The next time I woke up, I was still on my stomach. And Kakashi was still in that chair. I was lucky the second time, managing to look over my shoulder and check on my wings. What I saw, though, was not scale, nor bone, nor muscle or even tendons. What I saw were...Feathers. You heard me. Feathers. Black as the night is dark, and the wings themselves were probably a good foot longer than the last time I had them. I wanted to see them better, so I decided getting up was a good idea. Turns out it wasn't, because my vision swam and I passed out again. I had to stop doing that. The third time I woke up, I checked on the chair- this time it was empty- and then on my wings- which still had black feathers- and then got up. This time I succeeded and I got to look at my frame. It was emaciated, meaning that I must have been living off the tubes that were stuck in my arms and down my throat for a good number of months. Not only that, but my wings really were black and covered with feathers. Such a sight amazed and confused me. Why did I grow feathery wings when last time they came back they were covered in scale as is supposed to be? The only answer I could come up with was something about the attack Tobi decided to do on my team and I fucked with how my wings worked- even if only a little- and I ended up with feathers. My eyes instead of being gold, had become black. Not just any black, either, but Uchiha black. It was with that in mind, that I focused chakra to my eyes and found myself looking at a fully developed pair of Sharingan eyes. And then I passed out again.

The final time I woke up, everything was explained to me. How guards found me in front of the gate of Konoha in the state I was in. My only guesses to that were either Tobi took me there- I don't see why he would- or I subconsciously drug myself there. However upon being told about the trail of blood, I figured I drug myself there even in the amount of sorrow and pain I was in. I needed four blood transfusions, one given to me for the first five days of my admittance to the hospital, and each donation being given by none other than Kakashi Hatake himself. I was told of how for the first two weeks of my admittance, I wouldn't stop screaming in my sleep even when I was sedated with enough drugs to take down three elephants. The only time I did shut up, was when Kakashi was holding my hand. Over all, I had been in that hospital for a total of four months. For the next half a year, I worked myself half to death in order built back up the speed, strength, and over all power I had before the crisis. For the next two years, I trained with Itachi and Kakashi with Sasuke to master my new eyes. I had to learn how to do genjutsu first, and then I had to learn everything there was to be learned about my new eyes. I had to get used to not being able to see miles ahead of me, which was something that was very hard to do. I never asked Itachi whose eyes I had. But I figured that they were from another prodigy from another time as the eyes were- are- young and still see clear as day. I also had to get used to flying again with my new wings. My claws, which grew back sharper than ever remained the same. My tail never came back; still hasn't. Those seals that I kept on myself to limit my ability. Yea, those went away forever. After I was fully recovered, I went to go see the Tsu family.

The Tsu brothers' clan and family were wonderful people, who greeted me with open arms and smiles on their faces. Sad smiles, but smiles a that. The brothers' parents were the most welcoming, telling me that their boys would want them to greet the person they loved as one with open arms. We talked about the attack and I told them of how bravely each one of them fought, and of how I sent them off with a kiss and a song. I also told them of my foolish mistake of trying for revenge- for which they yelled at me.

So, now here I am, standing on a random building and recalling this all simply to assess the situation. My black feathered wings lay furled against my back, their total span being fourteen feet from tip to tip. Over the passed three years, my clothing hasn't changed. Well, it has a little bit. To honor the Tsu brothers, I got their family to create me new leather clothing. Instead of dragon scales mixed with cloth, it's nothing but dragon scales. On my back with holes through it for my wings is a black hiori, a falcon made out of blue fire and wielding Sharingan eyes soaring across my back. Not that the falcon can really be seen, seeing as I keep my hair loose now. As for Kakashi and I? We're going on three years come a few months from now. Not much has changed between us for the most part. The only thing that's different is the fact that we can kiss and hold hands and cuddle when we want to. However we keep the PDA on a down low. Not only because neither of us are big on that sort of thing, but also that would open us up to weaknesses for our enemies.

I sigh as I walk into the door of our apartment, only for Kakashi to walk up, kiss my cheek through the fabric of his mask, and pull me back out the door with one hand while putting a scroll into the other. "We have orders from Tsunade-sama. You have news from Itachi".

It's by the time these words have left his mouth, that I'm done stumbling after him, and am now walking on my own. I look to the scroll that was put into my hand, the kanji for 'red dawn' is on it. I look to my lover, "I'll meet you at the tower; I have to read this now". Before I take to the sky, I give him a quick kiss on the cheek. If there's one thing about the new wings that the trauma I went through caused to replace my old wings, it's that they both shed heat and retain it rather well. I grin as I pass multiple low hanging clouds, and feel the chill of cold air. Normally if I went this high, my wings would start to get cold, and the joints would freeze up or start to hurt and then I'd be forced to go back down lest I wanted to become a real fallen angel. I stop, and remain in this spot for the time being, opening up the scroll as I do so. "Let's see here...Gaara was captured huh? Naruto's gonna be really sad when he hears about this after he comes back. But Suna's on their tail...My job to misdirect whatever Suna shinobi I come in contact with...I don't wanna do that! God damn it they have a right to go after them; they stole and are killing the Kazekage for fuck's sake! I glare at the message before burning the scroll with a simple fire jutsu. How the hell am I supposed to do this? As far as the Akatsuki are concerned, I belong with them. But I'm really with Konoha- there is no Coup to plan or go through with and I don't hate Jinchuriki. Itachi can't stall them either; he's in the same position as I. "Tch. Kagebushin no Jutsu," I command, and a copy of myself appears before me. "Go to Itachi. Tell him that I'll do what I can but I make no promises and that they should send someone out to give me a hand. We'll fight him together for a few moments and then I'll send them off a few moments later so that I'm not suspicious on both sides. You got all that?"

"Yes ma'am!" She salutes and takes off at full speed.

I in the mean time set off for Hokage tower, and find myself coming in through the window, "Sorry I- Naruto!" My black eyes widen in surprise and I grin, bearing harmless fangs at him as I rush forward and collide bodies with him, wrapping both arms and wings around him. He's still shorter than myself, but it's only by about three inches or so. He's of average height for a young man his age now, and he's still got plenty of time to grow still. "When the hell did you get back kid?"

Naruto blinks, just standing there as I hug him tight to his form. "Uhh...Is that you...Cross? Or are you her sister or something?"

I sigh and release him. It's no wonder he doesn't recognize me; so much has happened while he was gone. After backing up and furling my wings, I nod, "I'm Cross alright...It's just a lot of stuff has happened. I'll explain to you another time. I'm pretty sure we have an issue to take care of". As I look around, other than Naruto I see Kakashi of course, Sakura and Sasuke. Said Uchiha's eyes are glued to me. I turn and look to Tsunade before questioning, "So uhh...What's going on?"

The blonde woman's tawny eyes glare at me for a moment before she continues, "Gaara, the Ichibi Jinchuriki has been captured by the Akatsuki. Suna is requesting back up; I'm sending you five, Team Seven, to lend them a hand. Cross. As you are highest ranking shinobi here, you're in charge. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," I nod once, casualness falling completely. The woman nods, and sends us off with a wave of her hand. We leave by way of window. As the four land and begin to run on roof tops, I fly a few feet above them, wings spread to their full length and carrying me swiftly. It's as we leave the village that I speak, "Naruto, I hope you're not too tired from your trip home because there will be no resting for us; we need to get there as swiftly as possible. I'm sure the rest of you have been briefed on what exactly the Akatsuki is, but I'll say it again. They are a group of S-ranked nukenin with unknown abilities and weaknesses. The most we do know is that there's only a handful of them and they're lead by a single man. The game plan is this: get to Suna and meet up with whom ever is there to see us into the village, and figure out what exactly happened. When we can find the direction Gaara was taken in, we will move as a small unit. I have no doubt that if the Akatsuki find out that we're on their tail, they'll send out someone to at least stall us. If this occurs, we'll assess the situation and then continue. If someone needs to stay back, then I will do so. And as a result of that, Kakashi will be put in charge".

"It doesn't matter if I'm tired or not," Naruto states, speeding forward from tree to tree. I'm forced to join in their branch hopping, the forest being too thick for my wings to handle with out any real issue. "What matters is that we save Gaara at all costs!"

"Idiot," Sasuke takes his turn, "If you're tired you can't fight". Of course. Even though the boy is a Jonin now he still has to have a childish banter with Naruto the first chance he gets.

"Don't start," I tell him with narrowed black eyes, "Focus on what's at hand". The travel to Kaze no Kuni is silent from then on, each of us caught up in our own thoughts. Mine particularly on who I'm supposed to be fighting and just how I'm going to stall the others without betraying them nor just let them pass and give myself away to the Akatsuki. I know it won't be Itachi; it'd jeopardize everything. Zetsu isn't one for fighting, Konan and Pein don't go out on missions. Those who caught Gaara in the first place have their hands full with the delivery of the body for the extraction of the Ichibi. That leaves five other possibilities for who I'll be fighting. Once we're in Kaze no Kuni, I'm able to take to flying again, once more a few feet above the others' heads.

The Village Hidden in the Sand is not unlike the Village Hidden in the Leaves. With high walls and guards spread along them, simply looking at it can tell anyone that there's a reason as to just why Suna is one of the five Great Shinobi Villages. Greeting us at the gate is woman that often visits Konoha on diplomatic missions as is her duty, being not only the Kazekage's older sister but also a diplomat and Jonin of Suna. Temari rushes forward from the only opening of the village to meet us part way. "Konoha shinobi. Glad that you managed to make it here in such little time and under such short notice. Sorry about that by the way".

I hold up a hand in acceptance, "Don't worry about it; that's what allies are for. Team seven, Cross, Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno reporting for assistance".

"Right this way," she states, leading myself and the others into the village where sights and smells and happenings are ignored by my eyes. "Early this morning, two cloaked men infiltrated Suna without a sound or single notice by our ninja. They killed the guards at the gate as well as those around them. I'm unsure about the second one, but the first is a man with long blonde hair and a single blue eye. He looked to be from Iwa if I saw his hitai-ate correctly and he worked mainly with explosions if not only those- a ranged fighter from what I saw. He took Gaara down after a bit of a struggle, and if Gaara didn't protect this village, the rest of us would be dead and he alive and well enough to take the man down". She curses at this statement, obviously not happy with being part of a weak point for the young man that is both her brother and the Kazekage of her home. If it was early this morning, then Gaara's already having his Biju extracted. It will take time, but never the less the fact that it's already started is a very bad thing. No Jinchuriki has ever survived the extraction of their Biju save for Naruto's mother. By her description, it was Sasori and Deidara that took the boy away. Temari leads us into a building that smells of herbs and other plants with names I don't know, and through a hallway or two before we come upon a room with a single table in the middle and multiple medical shinobi surrounding it. On the table is a shivering and sweating Kakuro. "Kankuro, the idiot, went after the blonde's partner in an attempt to get information out of him. But he was poisoned. Chiyo-sama is our best bet against this poison, and even she is having issues". Temari now looks directly to Sakura. "Is there nothing you can do?"

Sakura looks to me, green eyes pleading as we both ignore the old woman who thought Kakashi was his father and therefore attacked him only to be corrected by an older man- a village's elder I think. "Is there nothing that I can do?"

I look down at the war painted young man with critical eyes, watching as he flinches and shutters, his face contorted into a look of pain as he lays there helpless. My choice is made in no time, "Yes. Sakura. Get to work. We will wait here and let you heal Kankuro; there may be information that he has that Tamari and the others don't know. Work as quickly as you can without making a single mistake; we don't have much time but Kankuro's life is on the line as well".

Temari seems to let out a single sigh of relief before looking from her beloved little brother back to me, the leader of the allied team. "What about Gaara?"

I purse my lips, thinking for a moment before backing up and letting my hands fly through the handsigns of boar, dog, bird monkey and then ram, "Kushiyose no Jutsu". My left hand is planted onto the ground, and a spiderweb of scribbles settles on the floor. There's a burst of smoke for a moment, and when it clears in its place is a summoned animal; a tiger. His is of a rather large size for your average tiger, but then again summoning animals come in all sizes and colors half the time, standing at about five three at the shoulder. His stripes are black like any tiger, though where it'd normally be orange is a sandy yellow color, his under belly gray and his eyes an electric blue.

"Cross," the tiger greets with a nod of his head, eyes focused on me. "What can I do for you?"

"Lyst," I address the slim built large cat, "I need you to leave Suna and try to find Gaara's scent. You remember him, right?"

"The Kazekage that you and I delivered a good number of scrolls to not too long ago? Yes I remember him and his scent of sand and blood".

"Good. Once you find it, follow the trail and scout out any possible enemies that may be in that direction. However don't go so far that it'll take you forever to get back. Just scout out a good distance and then come back and tell me what you've seen. If the scent leads further than where you stop, make sure to keep that in mind. I need you to move as fast as you possibly can. Can you do it?" I instruct.

The blue eyed feline nods, "For you? Anything. I will return in an hour; is that short enough?" I nod. "Then I'll be off". It's with that that he weaves his way around people and takes off as soon as he's clear.

Naruto looks to me with a raised brow, "Since when could you summon?"

I smirk, "The things you learn you can do when you're reverse summoned to the home of the animal you have a natural affinity for. I'll tell ya".

For the rest of the time that we're waiting, it's silent in order to let Sakura concentrate on both finding an antidote and extract it from Kankuro's body. I can't help but be proud of the girl. Neither I nor Kakashi- no matter how we trained her- managed to get a large amount of progress from her. However, ever since she started learning under Tsunade, she'd become stronger, tougher, a real kunoichi. Her chakra reserves are like Kakashi's that of an average amount and therefore don't compare to those like Naruto's and mine, nor Sasuke's even. So she can't beat us in a ninjutsu battle, however like Kakashi she's very efficient with what she's got. And in terms of healing, that means that she can use the minimum amount of chakra needed to heal a wound, and still be able to heal many many more if need be. She can pace herself. But if I were to try and do that. Heh. God forbid I try to heal someone with my chakra. I'd end up hurting them more if nothing else.

The silence falls away as there's the sound of shuffling, and I watch with curious eyes as one certain Kankuro slowly and shakily makes his way into sitting. "Kankuro," Temari scolds lightly, supporting the man as he does as he wants, "You should be resting. Lay back down will you?"

"N-No...G-Gaara," Kankuro pushes passed the hands that hold him back from fully sitting up.

I take this as my cue to step forward and show him that things will work out. "Relax," I tell him, brining his orbs to my own, "We'll take care of saving Gaara, okay? You rest. All I need to know is what direction the Akatsuki member you went after went, and what he looked like. After that we're heading out and traveling at full tilt".

"S-south-east...Back towards the forest," Kankuro tells me. I nod, and motion for the others to get going, "W-Wait!...He's a puppet master; don't get hit. Whatever you do". I nod, and we're off.

However as I look back, I find the old woman that mistook Kakashi for his father coming with us, "Stay back," I tell her as she catches up. Fast for an old woman.

"I'm coming with you; if you're dealing with a puppet master you may need me," she tells me with stern eyes. I purse my lips. Suna is known for its art of puppetry and wind jutus...She obviously used to be a Suna nin. I have no choice but to nod in acceptance.

"Cross!" I hear the familiar voice of Lyst as he sees us while he's running. When we pass him, he turns around and runs directly under me, while the others are under my wings. "Cross, south-east, way into the woods. Gaara left a trail of his sand behind for us to follow, the smart kid. Not only that, but there's another team of Konoha nin headed our way. Still too south for us to meet up with from where we are, but close enough that they'll meet up with us in about forty five minutes of running".

"...Good, they didn't divert from the direction Kankuro told us about. And Konoha shinobi you said?...I wonder if Tsunade-sama sent more just in case. This is Akatsuki we're dealing with. Thank you Lyst, your job is done".

"I'll see you another time then, Cross," the tiger then proceeds to disappear in a poof of smoke.

"Alright team listen up!" I call out to the five below me as we continue to run. "We're headed straight south-east from now on. As soon as we hit the woods, Kakashi I want you to look for Gaara's scent and find again that trail Lyst talked about. By the time we reach the woods, the other team- whoever they are- should have met up with us. We'll brie-Son of a bitch!" And why am I no longer planning as we go? Maybe it's because a giant ball of water slammed into me out of literally no where. One moment I'm flying and playing leader, next one I'm skipping along the sand like some kind of skipping stone. I groan as I pick myself up, now drenched and covered in a bunch of sand. I spit the gritty stuff out as best I can and look from where the water came from. Not far from me is none other than Kisame himself.

"Cross!" Kakashi and Sasuke call as one.

I pause, spitting out more sand in order to stall. They should have had enough time to almost fully extract the Bijuu without any interruptions. "Stay there!" I tell them. "This guy here is Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist- just like Zabuza was but stronger! The priority is to get to Gaara and stop the extraction of the Ichibi! Go! Kakashi, you're in charge!"

"But Cross! You said so yourself! He's stronger than Zabuza was and yet he's one of the Seven Swordsmen! You'll need back up!" Sasuke insists strongly.

I shake my head, "Are telling me that you're going to defy orders! I said 'go' now do it!"

"Are you kidding me?! Those who leave their friends behind are-" Sasuke tries.

"'Are worse than scum', I know! You're not leaving me behind, idiot. I'll catch up in no time! Would you listen to orders and do as you're told?!" Damn it boy, I don't care that you know about me being a double agent. If you're here and we start talking about things, and you act like I know you would which isn't surprised in the slightest, you're going to give me away. Not only that, but you're going to give Itachi away too. Sasuke stares at me for a moment longer before Kakashi pulls him away, and they're off.

Kisame and I walk closer so that we don't have to yell across the distance between the two of us, "That's quite the show you put on, girlie". The shark man grins to me, Samehada casually propped on his shoulder. "But it wasn't much of a stall. I was hoping for something a bit longer. So was Leader-sama".

I scoff, falling into the persona that the man knows me to be as, "Feh. I can't very well blow my cover you know," I tell him, crossing my arms and rolling my black eyes slowly to show my annoyance. "So you're the one I have to fight huh? I'm surprised they let you leave. Or if you were a hologram that you were so close".

"Nah, you're wrong on both accounts, girlie," he tells me casually with a chuckle. I'm just a human transformation of the original- just a portion of the original's power is in me".

I chuckle myself, "Then it should be easy to beat you. Easier than last time I put you down, at least".

"Oh ho? Still proud of that huh?"

"O' course I am!" I throw my hands up in the air as the claws unsheathe themselves. "Why the hell wouldn't I be? I mean come on. You have a massive amount of chakra. I have a massive amount of chakra. Us clashing is like two demi-gods going to war. We're both tailless beasts, you and I. Well...You are. I'm more than just a tailless beast".

"Proud as ever of your blood I see," not at all. Yea, they know what I am- fuckin' Orochimaru leaving his notes for all to see and ponder over. "Shall we dance then?" He unshoulders his shaving blade, easily holding him in one hand.

"Ready when you are, water boy," I smirk out. I have the advantage here, not that I need it. As he rushes me, my wings spread and within a few powerful gusts, there's sand kicking all around him in the form of a small twister.

"Suiton: Suishouha!" Kisame easily disperses the sand, drenching but it and me- again.

I sigh, flapping my wings to rid them of the water that coats them, and then furl them to my back before rushing forward to meet him. "Was that really needed?" I grumble to him as claws meet sword. Oh, hello Samehada. Hungry for my chakra? You seem like it because you're rather aggressively feeding off me.

"That obviously was," he pushes me back, making my heels sink deeper into the sand before over powering me with ease and sending me flying. I flip with the momentum and land on all fours. Fighting like this is something I've found over my time of regaining my strength that I'm rather good at. It'd be much better suited for someone like Naruto- someone small in general- but I make do. I rush forward, coming in in a zigzag fashion as to make myself less predictable. "Suiton: Bakusui Shoha!" He throws his head back, holding the final sign, and then suddenly his mouth is spewing a massive wave. When I say 'massive', imagine a tsunami. Best way to describe it. I bear fangs at the wave, and concentrate chakra to my feet and hands, before doing a feat that I never figured I'd have to do. I climbed a wave of water. Yup. I'm Jesus. That's gotta be it. The shark man is still at the top of this wave when he sees me do this, and his hands fly through another set of handsigns, "Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu!" I watch as a shark made of water envelopes him, and then with its assistance it comes for me.

We clash, the water finally settling and us standing on top of it claws against sword. He swings, sending me flying, this time I settle for letting my wings carry me. My hands fly through handsigns. I don't need any blue fire release jutsus for this fight; the guy's not even the real deal. However I do need some serious fire jutsu to get this done. "Alright mister," I tell him as my hands fly. "No more pool time for you. I don't think I should play any more"

"Why is that?" Kisame questions, resting his blade on his shoulder. Come down here and we'll play for just a bit longer".

"Give a girl some time. You know we like to pace ourselves," I sneer, being careful to stay in this persona, "Actually...You probably don't. Probably haven't been laid once with the way you look".

"Now that's just cruel," he tells me with a sigh. "I've been laid before".

"What, after killing and raping the girl? Or maybe she was a whore?" I growl out the words, "I'm thinking both".

"Tch. Fine. If you're gonna be a bitch, I'll just have to go all out," the copy of Kisame growls back, obviously not happy. He rests Samehada on the water, sheating it into the liquid until only the hilt is seen. And then, his hands fly through signs themselves.

My eyes narrow. I refuse to let him do that jutsu; the Suiton: Suitenhofutzu. That and another one I'm glad to know the copy can't do- not if he's doing this one- with how much chakra he has at the moment the stronger. My hands land on tiger, and I glare down at my fish opponent. "Katon: Gokyaku no Jutsu!" I see him smirk as the rather large fire ball- one that would make Itachi proud- rushes for him. I can see the 'is that all you've got?' look in his eyes. My hands flip through a few more signs and then, "Fuuton: Atsugai!" From my wings that now have concentrated chakra covering them, comes a very powerful gust of wind, which rushes forward unforgivingly, causing the water below to weakly protest and give way to it and the fire it collides with. I watch as the two mix, creating an even stronger fire, blue despite not being a blue fire release, and crashing with the water that stands no chance. I fly up higher to see how Kisame does in deflecting my handy work, and I see himself encase himself with what water he has left. There's a large explosion, and steam bursts all around us. Silently, I land. However that was a bad idea. I look down to see the kunai in my throat. Blood gushes from the wind pipe. I slump to the ground, motionless and blood making a pool.

"Sorry about that," Kisame appears next to me. Damn. I forgot he was from Kirigakure. "Didn't mean to kill you; habit. I'm sure Itachi will be upset, but he'll forgive me I'm sure of as well". Suddenly the wound on my person is gone. Hell, my entire person is gone. "Well shit," smart man. But not smart enough to figure out that when I looked towards the kunai coming my way and then to him, my Sharingan was activated; a simple genjutsu saved my life.

I smile as I hold claws to his throat, my other hand on the hilt of Samehada and ignoring the spikes that enter my skin as I am not his master. "Itachi would be proud of me. Just like the last time I beat you; and that was before I got these lovely eyes. I'm tired of fooling around, ya asshole. Gimme the real thing to fight again and we'll talk. You're boring". And it's with that, that my claws slide across the man's neck. I don't stay to see just who I really killed. I have a team to catch up with.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Gaara: Jinchuriki, Kazekage, Naruto's Brother**

I don't need any sort of guide to know where the extraction sight is. However, what I come in to see is that of a dead bodied Sasori and the place a mess. That is after I find that the place wasn't forced in to. Meaning that they met up with the other team in time to take of the spread out seal tags. Someone fought the puppet master- no...Two someones- and managed to win after quite the struggle. My guess is Sakura and...The old woman, Chiyo. Deidara isn't here, nor is Gaara's body. Deidara's the kind of guy who likes to taunt and tease. So he probably lured a rather angry Naruto out of the cave, and in turn Sasuke and Kakashi went too. I look back in the direction I came from once out of the cave, and then I look in the other direction. There's a canyon in that direction...I wouldn't be surprised if Deidara lead them that way. I take off with a push of my legs, heading in that direction I figure everyone else went. It takes a decent amount of flying at top speed to find them, but after following the explosions and the enraged screams, I can only figure that Naruto's fighting Deidara. Why aren't Kakashi and Sasuke trying anything? God, Sasuke's got the Sharingan for pete's sake! All he has to do is look the boy in the eyes and bam!...Did Itachi not teach him that yet? I dive bomb into the trees, landing not far from the explosions where I figure the actual fighting to be going on. If Kakashi and Sasuke are doing nothing, then they should be in this vicinity.

"So, Jiraiya didn't give you anything to calm the idiot down?" I hear Sasuke's voice not too far away after my ears are done toning in on the most recent explosion. With my wings furled to my back, and my claws sheathed, I make my way to that voice, using it to figure out where the hell they are.

"No," Kakashi responds with, "He figured if Cross was near by, things would be fine".

"Idiot! You'd think a Sanin would have thought ahead and of the situation we're currently in!" Someone's a bit pissed, "Cross is no where near by, and neither of us know how to use our Sharingan to calm him the hell down. Let alone get close to him. He's already got two tails, what about the third?"

"Who's no where near by?" I question from a tree separate from both of theirs, and a branch above them.

"Cross isn't. She's off fighting that fish freak. I should of stayed behind to help her," Sasuke answers. "God I'm such an idiot!"

"Why?"

"Because that fish freak could be taking her down! I know she's strong, but he's an S-ranked criminal!" Sasuke throws his hands in the air.

"But...I'm perfectly fine," I tell him.

Kakashi looks up to me and eye smiles, "Glad to see you could join us. You wouldn't of happened to see Sakura and Elder Chiyo, would you of?"

It's then that Sasuke looks up himself, dark eyes widening at the sight of my person, I smile at him, and wiggle my fingers at him in a casually and a bit playful wave. My eyes return to Kakashi and I shake my head, "I didn't see either of them; the cave was collapsed and all I saw was Sasori's dead body. But I did see tracks of someone leaving. It might have been them; I didn't really study the tracks".

Kakashi is silent for a moment before nodding, "Alright. Now...What do you wanna do about Naruto?"

I sigh and look towards the explosions, "The Akatsuki can't know about the effect my chakra has on the Kyuubi. If they find me out, I'll be their weapon against him and I'll have no choice but to give myself up as a double agent and therefore put myself and the village in jeopardy. I need you two to take Deidara down. He's a long range fighter as I'm sure you both know by now, so he's got exceptionally good eyes. Plus he's got that scope on his left one. You need to come in as one. Then when you catch him, hold him down and get him into a genjutsu- he's particularly weak against the Sharingan in that he can't help but look at your eyes. Once you have him down, I'll take Naruto out. But until then, I'll just keep his attention on me. He can't fly so I'll use that to my advantage". I pause, "Ready? Scatter!" We do just that, taking off in different directions, they for the defending blond, and I for the offending one. Upon seeing Naruto my eyes widen. This is my first time actually seeing the Kyuubi's chakra at work. It's actually rather frightening. His nails are that of claws- little sharp knives compared to my swords for claws but no matter- and his lips are lined in black. His eyes are lined with black as well and completely red, the whisker marks on his cheeks thickened making him look feral to go with those fangs that rival the length of my own. His hair is a lot more wild too, but other than that nothing has changed. I watch him as he attacks Deidara over and over again like the savage beast he currently is. "Oi! Jinchuriki brat!" I shout out. The call doesn't do anything. Let's try something more insulting, "Fucking Monster!" His head snaps in my direction, a low growl rumbling from his throat.

"What are you doing Cross-chan, un?!" Deidara questions from his current position on the ground. "Get the hell out of there!"

"I can take this bastard on!" I confidently point at my chest, head high and proud. "I beat Kisame remember? What's the difference between a three tailed beast and a no tailed beast that could beat a four tailed one? Nothin'! Get out of here! And leave the Kazekage's body here; we don't need it any more!"

My eyes flash down to the tailed Naruto, who stands there and glares at me before rushing me, I jump off of the poor tree that he takes down in an attempt to get to me. Deidara says where he is, "What about Hatake and Itachi's brother?!"

"I don't know where the hell they are!" Really, I don't. I do know they're near by though, "So I'd keep my eyes wide open for any attacks they may try to throw at ya while yer retreatin'!" I jump again, this time onto a higher branch. Now get outta 'ere!" He wastes no more time. I in the mean time continue to jump from tree to tree as Naruto chases me, taunting him with names and phrases that I'd never say if it weren't for the fact that I need to make sure that his attention is only for me. As he takes down the tenth tree, I decide that it's time to fly. "Come on Naruto!" I stop with the name calling, "Come and get me all the way up here!" What I don't expect is for him to be able to climb so well. "Oohhhhh shit!" I take off at full speed, breaking through the canopy just as he makes it to the top of the trees. "Up here kiddo!" I tell him. His tails...Can extend?! I dodge around the three tails that try to catch me like a frog's tongue does a fly until I figure that I'm a good distance away from Deidara. "Okay buddy," I tell him, "Time to calm down". It's as I say this, that I let a coat of chakra cover my skin, making it glow practically a golden color- my chakra is gold, yes. When it's fully over my body, I force it outwards in a burst of energy. Which collides with Naruto as He launches himself into the air in an attempt to catch me with his hands. As soon as my chakra makes contact with the Kyuubi's, it settles down, sinking back into his person. It seems that being in a tailed form makes Naruto very sleepy, because next thing I know, I'm catching him with an arm around his waist and one of his arms over my shoulders before he can hit the ground. "Atta boy, Naruto. Nice and calm. Why don't we find Gaara's body, hmm? I think that would be good". And that's exactly what we do. Upon finding Gaara's cold and pale- paler rather- frame, I can't help but frown deeply.

"So...You got him to settle down did you?" Kakashi looks to me with a tired dark eye, arm slung over Sasuke's shoulders.

"Yes...You over did it again," I tell him blandly. It's not a question.

"Just a bit," he tells me.

It is then that Naruto decides to wake up, a groan escaping his lips and his frame becoming lighter due to the muscles no longer being dead to the world. "Wh...What?" Is all he sleepily manages.

I smile and shuffle his body in my hold, "Morning sleepy head," I greet him lightly, "How do you feel?"

A blue eye looks at me, dazed with sleep, "Like three trees fell on me and stayed there for an entire night".

I chuckle, "That's not exactly what happened, but no matter. Think you can walk on your own?" I get a nod, and release him, and only hold onto his shoulder when he wobbles a bit. When his eyes land on Gaara, it's as though cold water was poured on his frame as he's wide awake then.

"...We have to take him home," Naruto tells us, picking the red head up and putting him onto his back with a bit of my help.

"Alright. Let's go back to Suna then," I nod out, leading the way with Naruto next to me and Sasuke and Kakashi behind us. The walk is silent and mournful, none of us willing to say a single word. Well, Kakashi's too tired to really say anything let alone lift his head. But that's a completely different story.

To tell you the truth, I thought that only Konoha had as much heart in it as it does. Thought, being the key word. Why? Because I hadn't really ever spent a whole lot of time in other villages- obviously. A normal stupid throught but one that I had all the same. So to find practically every single member of Suna, shinobi and villager alike, waiting for us about half way back to the village, was an astounding thought. And to see their sorrow so deep as though someone killed their son, brother, father, cousin, whatever, wasn't any better. Team Guy turned out to be the team that Lyst saw and never met up with. They along with Sakura and Elder Chiyo were waiting for us to come along as they seemed so sure we would.

Naruto holds in tears that I know want to fall as he places Gaara gently in front of his people, "We couldn't save him...I'm sorry". I bite my lip, placing a hand on one of his shoulders as he bows his head and continues to remain strong. And when his shoulders begin to shake from holding himself back, I place both hands on his shoulders, and rest my forehead on his back, wings unfurled just enough to block off his sides. I don't want to envelope him from the world completely. "I'm so sorry...Sorry...I just...Wasn't fast enough".

"Wait! Maybe he's not gone!" Sakura rushes forward, kneeling at Gaara's side. "I-I'll heal him! Naruto!" She tries to assure, placing her hands on the red head's chest and green healing chakra spreading from her hands to his person. However, it's no use. I know the look of a dead person rather well. Gaara, Sabuku no Gaara, former Ichibi Jinchuriki is dead.

Naruto's shoulders shake harder, and I squeeze them in my support. However, he jerks from my hold, tears now freely dripping from his eyes as Chiyo kneels next to Sakura to look down at the red haired boy. "This is all your fault! Gaara didn't even ask to be a Jinchuriki! It was forced upon him! And then the entire village acted as though he was the host of some incurable plague! Even his own brother and sister were afraid of him! There is no one in the world who wants to be a Jinchuriki! It's a horrible life that you have to deal with untilt he day you die! For people like him and me, who don't even understand why we're treated like we are, life is the most painful thing we have to go through. Day in and day out! And just when things started to get good for him, when people started accepting him and stopped being afraid of him...Some group of power hungry monsters take his life as a reward to him for protecting the very village that scorned him! It's not fair! Why? He didn't ask to be a Jinchuriki! And none of you understand! You think you do but you don't!" Oh...Naruto.

Chiyo and the rest of us are silent as he openly cries, unable to look away from the first person to understand him through and through, just as he understood Gaara from day one. They're brothers, nothing more and nothing less. I was scorned too, but not because I housed a tailed beast, just simply because I was different. The humans don't know I'm not human. And yet they think Naruto is a demon when he's the most human human creature I've ever seen in my life. Where was I when we learned that she sealed Gaara away? Was it after we separated? I can only suspect so. Sweat begins to drip down her face, and pants leave her mouth.

Sakura's eyes widen as she seems to realize just what the hell Elder Chiyo seems to have in mind. "No! You can't! If you do...You'll die!"

"What?" I question with furrowed brows, "Sakura, explain".

She looks to me and does so quickly, "Elder Chiyo knows a forbidden jutsu called Kisho Tensei. It's like the opposite of Orochimaru's Edo Tensei, but different. It transfers a person's entire life force into that of a dead body, switching their life for the person who died's. It can only be done within a short time of the death, and it requires a lot of chakra as it is. Elder...Let me help you".

"No! Your life force is still too weak from that near death encounter you had earlier. I need someone who is strong". The old woman gasps out.

It is then that Naruto kneels on Gaara's other side, and offers his hands, "I'm plenty strong," damn right you are, "Let me help you. Gaara would do the same if it were me laying there".

The old woman looks at him before smiling, "Put your hands over top of mine, and channel your chakra". The boy does so, and the blue glow that had been dulling by the moment, bursts to life. However, even as the jutsu begins to come to a close, the woman is growing weaker and weaker. I can see it in her eyes, even without my original eyes. It's clear as the sky is blue on this day. "You're right," Chiyo answers shortly. She joins Sakura at Gaara's side, and takes the young woman's hands' place with her own. Chakra begins to flow from her. I'm happy that someone like you has appeared in the world of shinobi that we foolish old people created. Everything I've ever done was a mistake. But now, at the end, it looks like I'll finally be able to do the right thing. The Sand Village and Konoha. Their future will be much different than the way things were back in my day. That strange power of yours that Kakashi mentioned… That power will have a strong influence on the future. Become a Hokage like none before you". Her tired eyes trail to my pink haired team mate, eyes tired. "And Sakura… Next time, save the people who are dear to you, not some old hag. You and I are very similar. There aren't many girls as chivalrous as you around. You might become a kunoichi who surpasses her master." It's by now that we see the color- even though it's not a whole lot- return to Gaara's skin and face. Curious, I place a hand to Gaara's throat, where I can feel his pulse. After a moment's waiting, I can feel it there. Faint, but growing stronger by the moment. When Gaara's breathing becomes slow and steady, as though he were sleeping, Chiyo realizes that it's her time to go. She looks to Naruto one more time, "Naruto… a request from an old woman. You are the only one who knows Gaara's pain… Gaara also knows your pain. Help Gaara out…". It is then that she closes her eyes, and with a slow, smiling breath, life leaves the old woman.

When Gaara wakes up, Naruto is the first to be there, a hand on his shoulder as he leans down and smiles at him. The sight is that of two brothers, one relieved to see the other, and the other surprised to see the one. When Gaara stands and it's explained all that went on, of how we came for him and of how Chiyo brought him back with Naruto's help, and of how an entire rescue party came, the red head again was surprised. The look on his face said, 'you all came for me?'. The idiot. Temari and Kankuro- the latter doing so despite Sakura's say so- support Gaara as he's still rather stiff from being dead. We stay a day in Suna, being given a free stay at a nice hotel for the night. Sakura and I share a roo, while the gentlemen get their own. The next day we leave with Gaara and his family seeing us off, and the Kazekage going so far as to insist on shaking Naruto's hand- something that had never happened before.

"I'm very proud of you five," Tsunade tells we of Team Seven as we stand before her in her office. About twenty minutes ago, we arrived back in the village after four days out of it. As we're supposed to after a mission, we came straight to Hokage Tower for a debriefing, where each of us recalled everything we experienced while on the mission. "Not only because you took down an Akatsuki member, but also because you managed to save Gaara whom is not only the Kazekage but also a good man. This also makes our bonds with Suna stronger than ever, basically assuring both sides that the treaty that's been between the two of us for two and a half years is absolutely solidified. Go take a break; you deserve it". We nod and then bow- well not Naruto, he's as casual with her as ever- before turning to leave. "Except...Sasuke and Cross. I have another mission for the both of you. I'm afraid you won't be staying in the village long. Kakashi...You stay as well".

I stop in my tracks to look a the blond woman. What? Another mission? It's not common that an Anbu Captain leaves her team for so long. Not unless the mission she goes on is top priority. "Tsunade-sama...What is it you need us for?"

"Primarily it's you and Sasuke that I need. Kakashi is here so that he can say goodbye to you. You two have been a couple for almost three years now. I don't know when your anniversery is, but I don't want you to miss it without Kakashi knowing the reason". Thanks Tsunade. Seriously. She smiles to me almost playfully, tawny eyes settled on my frame before traveling to Sasuke's as well. "Your mission...Is to assassinate Orochimaru".

My jaw drops, "Assassinate? Do you know how much work that'd take? Even if we took down every one of his guards, he'd be gone by the time we started looking for him". What's she getting at?

"That's why you will be infiltrating his base of operations much like you have done with the Akatsuki. I understand that this will mean that you'll have to report to the leader- Pein as you say his name is- along with Itachi. That's why while you and Itachi are reporting to him, Kakashi and Sasuke will be studying the workings of Orochimaru's current hide out; the location being provided by Jiraiya's spy network".

"I thought I was staying behind?" Kakashi questions.

"I changed my mind," Tsunade answers. "Now. I give you three days to report to Pein, back to me, and then get to Sasuke. Is that enough time?"

I blink lightly and sigh. "No, not even if Itachi and I leave now".

"She's right," Itachi speaks up, appearing in Tsunade's window, crouching on the ledge. "It takes at least two days to get there from here. If you want us to report back here from that's four days. Where is Orochimaru's current hideout?"

"Yukigakure," Tsunade answers.

"You wanted us to get there in a week? Were you depending on me carrying Itachi with me and flying us there through the night?"

"No, I was hoping you'd be fast enough. Are you saying you can't do it in a week?"

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. "It's not that we can't do it," because we can, "We'd just be very time pressed to get to Yukigakure in a week's time. Not only that...But Itachi. Are you cured?"

Itachi shakes his head, "No. I had to report to extract the Ichibi before Tsunade-sama and I got the chance to go through with it. However I'm willing to wait until I return from the Akatsuki to be administered the cure. If it is for the good of the village, that is".

Tsunade nods once, "It is. I would leave now, if I were you".

I pause, and look to my honorary clan head, "One moment please," I request, quickly looking to Kakashi with my eyes as I speak to Itachi.

The twenty one year old man nods once, "Very well".

I smile before turning and walking passed Kakashi, grabbing and pulling him along with me along the way. We leave the room, and close the door gently behind us before walking down the hallway. When we're sure no one is near...I find myself against the wall with Kakashi's frame flush against my own. A thrill runs down my spine, and I move my head up and to the side to give his no longer cloth covered lips access to the skin. As his lips explore the small expanse of my neck, my hands travel over and round his back, running over every muscle they can get to by going under both his shirt and the flack jacket. A low moan escapes my lips as he gently bites the juncture of my neck and shoulder, pressing against a bundle of nerves in that spot. In response to the sound, he bits a bit harder, and sucks at the skin for a good twenty seconds. I wiggle against him from the sensation. His hands bury themselves in my long hair, and lips find my own. I greedily kiss him back, putting his taste and scent even further to memory than it already is. We separate to breathe, and I decide that it's my turn to pin him- something that I know for a fact Kakashi enjoys. Just as he had gotten at my own, my lips travel across the skin on his neck, a hand pulling further down the mask that had only been lowered enough to show his entire face. Unlike me, he doesn't like teeth on his skin. Therefore I'm careful with not even trailing my fangs along his skin as much as I'd love to. I feel his pulse under my lips, and I can't help but think that if he liked it, I'd trail my fangs right there like a vampire would. That'd be an interesting experience. However I behave. Also unlike myself, a bundle of nerves that is sensitive for him isn't any where near the nape of his neck, Instead, it's closer to the back of his neck and his hairline. When I find this particular spot, I return the favor he gave to me in bringing broken blood vessels to the surface. After that, my lips find his one more time and we kiss for a bit longer.

When we separate, I'm panting, "We should go back; I need to get going".

Kakashi sighs, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer, "I don't want to," he tells me, dark eye live with energy and want.

Unfortunately, I can't give him what he wants, and pull out of his hold, "I know," I rest a hand on his bare cheek, "But I have to".

He sighs before stealing one more kiss and then pulling up his mask. We hold hands as we make our way back into the office. "Done?" Tsunade questions with a risen brow.

I blush and nod lightly before turning to hug the silver haired man. He in turn curls his form around my own, and as a result my wings wrap around him as well, "I'll see you in a week at the meet up point". We release one another, and my attention turns to the younger Uchiha, "See you in a week, Sasuke".

"Yea, see you," he blandly states, obviously not happy with what he knows to have occurred moments earlier. He grunts lightly as Itachi passes him by and pokes him with his index and middle finger- a thing he's done to the younger of the two ever since he was little. We take off at top speed, pushing hard against the ledge of the window and going on from there. The travel to the Akatsuki mansion is a silent one. Even when we wanted food, we'd just simply take something from a shop in a town we passed through. Illegal? Yes. Wrong? Yes? Necessary? Well hell yes! Upon reaching the mansion, the first and only think I say to Itachi in two days is, "Since it's my mission, I'll go alone. You rest and get at least a little bit of sleep. I know you're tired".

His reaction? "What about you?"

And my answer to that is, "I'm not human. I don't get tired as quickly as humans do; I've got more stamina". I leave at that, letting him sit down on one of the couches in the living room before heading upstairs. This will be my second time seeing Pein face to face. The first time was not long after my recovery was completed. Passed the first hallway, passed the hallway that holds my and Itachi's rooms, and into the third one where I know Pein's office to be. I knock on the double wooden doors nice and loud.

"Enter," is the low toned answer.

I open and close the door swiftly before bowing to the orange haired man before me. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he looks like he could be Naruto's relative. Their body and bone structure are so much alike that it's uncanny. However I know for a fact that Naruto has no blood related family. "Leader-sama," I greet as I bow, "I have news".

"Speak," the man demands.

"Tsunade wants me and Itachi's little brother, Sasuke, to infiltrate Orochimaru's current hide out and assassinate him. This will take a decent amount of time; I won't be available for any extractions that may occur during this mission".

His face as is per usual is blank. "Just yourself and the young Uchiha?"

"Yes sir," I answer with a nod.

"...Very well. We can spare one person. However keep in mind that I only say this because we have Kisame. Like him, your chakra helps with the load on the others in the extraction. Finish the job efficiently; Orochimaru is an enemy of the Akatsuki as well".

"As you wish, sir," I nod firmly, meeting his gaze to show that I understand and don't object or have any questions.

"Good. Leave. Proceed with the mission you were given".

I bow one more time before leaving the room and swiftly head through the hallways again, down the stairs and into the living room to see a sleeping Itachi. I tilt my head. If we had the choice, I'd move him to his room where he'd be more comfortable. However that's not an available choice right now. I move forward to shake him awake, only to find that his forehead is covered in a thin layer of sweat. My brows furrow, and I place the back of my hand to his forehead. Black eyes widen. A fever. He pushed himself too hard. And not just in the passed two days; in general as well. My hands weave through the needed handsigns before I slam my left hand with blood onto the floor, "Kushiyose no Jutsu". The tiger that appears is blue in fur color for the base of his fur, with green stripes and a light blue under belly. Orange eyes like fire look to me from the height of seven foot eight inches.

"Cross-sama," the baritone voice greets, "What service may I offer to you?"

I smile and place a hand under the large tiger's chin, scratching it momentarily, "Razboi," I greet lightly, "You see this man here? This is Itachi, the man who gave me the gift of my new eyes. He's sick; I need to take him home very quickly- much faster than I expected to be traveling. Will you be able to make it to Konoha with me in a single day? Normally it takes two".

Razboi looks at me and then to the man again, "If it is what you wish of me, then yes I can do it, Cross-sama".

I smile in thanks, "Thank you. Unfortunately, you'll need to hold onto him with your chakra since he can't do it on his own". I tell him, shouldering the tall Uchiha and sliding him over the large blue tiger's back. Once Itachi is comfortably and securely on the tiger's back, I nod to myself. "Take off before me; head south west once out of the cave". I get a nod and watch he large tiger take off at an impecible speed for someone his size. I wait a few seconds before rushing forward on my feet through the cave until I'm not too far above Razboi and Itachi. Normally I'd take to the canopy like I did on the way to the base. But I have to keep an eye on Itachi; I can't afford to be out of hearing range.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: Illness; Good Night Daddy **

The fact that I have to weave around tree after tree is bad enough. But now we've got nukenin on our tail? Tch. Might as well as take care of this quickly. Maybe I'll pull an Itachi and take 'em out with genjutsu. That'll probably be the easiest way. "Razboi," I call down to the fire eyed tiger, "Take Itachi and keep on going. Don't stop. These guys are nothing," I tell him. He nods, and speeds on forward while I slow down, spinning around to land backwards on a branch.

"Hey boys! Lookie here! The girl stopped! Looks like she's gonna defend her sickly boyfriend!" One of them states. I don't bother to take in what they look like; they're small fries.

"She's a pretty one too, eh boss?" Another coos as he hangs onto the body of another tree like some sort of monkey. "Let's beat 'er up and then have some fun!~"

A lower voice growls out the words, "Fuck you. We're not raping a woman just because your tiny pecker hasn't had any action in a while. We'll just kill her and take her into the bounty place. She might have some money on her head". Not that I know of.

I sigh and stand from my crouched position. "Listen guys," I sigh out, "I really am in a hurry here. Otherwise I would be tearing Tiny Tim over there a new one nice and slowly. However, you three need to die quickly". I pause, making sure that each of them are looking my way. "Kagebushin no Jutsu," I command, creating two clones of myself. We rush the trio full speed hands latching onto each of their shoulders with claws digging into skin. I get Tiny Tim, Sharingan awake and spinning into Mangekyo Sharingan. "Tsukiyomi," I snarl as he meets my gaze. Seconds later, I release him, and my clones disperse done with their jobs. I take off, full speed coming from my person and me going above the trees so I can catch up to Razboi rather quickly. When I find him, my eyes are already back to being black. The rest of the trip is silent, I don't even need a 'welcome back' to know that Razboi knew I was coming along. We rush through the gates, not bothering to pause and say 'hi' to the guards. And once Razboi is through Tsunade's constantly open window- she's learned that that's the only way I really like to enter and leave by- I fly in after him.

"Cross?" The woman stands to her feet, tawny eyes wide with surprise. "What happened to Itachi?"

I pant a bit. Going full speed like I have been is a bitch. "Itachi has a fever. He needs that cure now Tsunade-sama".

Her brows furrow before she nods, "Very well. Bring him to the hospital; I'll meet you in room 375".

"Hai," I nod before looking to Razboi. He's panting, tongue out of his mouth and shoulders heaving. Even for a big guy like him, constant high speed is hard. "I'll take him Razboi," I tell him lightly, tugging at Itachi's form by wrapping an arm around his waist and one of his arms around my shoulders.

"Thank you, Cross-sama," he nods, "I'll be on my way then".

"No Razboi," I tell him, "Thank you". He nods and disappears with a poof of smoke, returning to his home. By the time I'm done talking to Razboi, Tsunade is gone. I shuffle Itachi's larger frame and pull it to the window with me. With a heave and a strong grip on his frame, I take to the sky as is fastest way to get to the hospital. It takes me little to no time for me to get Itachi to that room, Tsunade is already there.

"Cross. You need to get going. You made it there and back in three days. However, Yukigakure is about four days' travel. More if you miss the ferry. Go now or else you're crossing the ocean by wing and foot".

My brows furrow as she and I ease Itachi onto the hospital bed, "What about Itachi?"

"I will take care of him," Tsunade tells me. "His illness isn't so bad that a fever would have killed him. However, I'm glad that you got him to me all the same. Leave the rest of the work concerning him to me; he'll be as healthy as he was before the illness by the time you get back in three months. When you get there, send Kakashi back; we're still rather low on shinobi ever since the invasion".

I nod and sigh before looking to my brother figure. You better accept this cure you bastard. I exit via window, taking off at full speed. My wings are going to be so fucking sore when I can finally relax. I had only barely made it to the ferry to Yukigakure. Barely meaning that I had to fly an extra mile just to catch up to it and then pay the captain directly for my boarding. The number of days that I was actually able to let my wings rest were the days when they decided to hate the ever living hell out of me. You know the feeling you get after pulling a muscle? Try the feeling of pulling every muscle in your body and putting it in each of my wings. Yea. That bad. When I do step off the ship, I look around and glare at my black haori. Damn it for not having longer sleeves. I'll be able to deal with the cold...So long as it doesn't get any colder than this. In other words, I need a coat.

"Cross!" My head snaps around in the direction of the voice carried on the wind. But I see no one. "Cross!" Again, the familiar voice calls, and I search but don't see. "Down here, bird girl," the gruff voice speaks up, and I look down with a smile. Only one being is brave enough to call me such a name.

"Pakkun," I greet, crouching and placing a hand under his chin to scratch it. "Kakashi ask you to wait for me here?"

"Basically," the summoned dog nods out. "It's my job to take you to him and Sasuke," he tells me, pulling from my petting hand and turning to take off.

I sigh. No rest for the wicked I guess. The hideout itself it four hours off the coast, hidden in an area known for its blizzards amongst those who live here. When we make it there, my skin is turning blue, and I have to keep chakra dancing under it in order to keep it from freezing. I really should have stopped to get a coat or something. As I walk into a solo building far from society, I sigh as warm fire greets me and my frame gladly soaks in the heat. "That's so much better".

"You're crazy for not thinking to bring a cloak. Normally you're better than that," Kakashi speaks up from his spot next to the fire. "What happened?"

"Itachi's illness kicked in not long after we got to the Akatsuki hide out," I tell him.

I don't get a chance to elaborate, "He's okay though right? You got Itachi to Tsunade, didn't you?" Ahh Sasuke, ever the loyal little brother he is.

I nod to him, "Rozboi and I managed to get him to Tsunade. He was about to be given the cure when I left". My eyes trial to Kakashi, "You need to get back to Konoha; the ferry leaves in five hours".

"Then I'd best leave now before a storm kicks in," Kakashi stands to his feet and places a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "Take care of her, will you?"

The young Uchiha's eyes meet the Hatake's single one, a look of utter determination in them, "With my life". Obviously for himself, not for Kakashi. But I don't think Kakashi cares at the moment.

"Thank you," Kakashi nods. He looks to me and takes off his cloak, "The hide out is another six hours' travel from here. This is the closest we could get without being detected being Konoha shinobi after all". His cloak goes around my shoulders, and he wraps his arms around my shoulders in place of the kiss I know he wants to give me- and the one I want. "After I leave...You two are on your own. We can't send out reinforcements and get immediate results". His hands fiddle with the hitai-ate around my neck, and I watch Sasuke remove his from his forehead. As Kakashi separates from me, he takes my hitai-ate with him, and is handed Sasuke's. "You have to have 'defected' so you won't be needing these until you come back". I nod. "Do everything and anything in your power to succeed. I know you know how much of a stress reliever this would be for not only the village, but for every Konoha shinobi out there". I nod again.

"We'll be back in three months, Kakashi," I tell him lightly, placing a hand to his covered cheek. My eyes trail to Pakkun, "Pakkun, make sure this idiot takes care of himself while I'm away?"

The dog smirks, showing me sharp teeth, "You got it bird girl. Let's go Kakashi; we've got four hours of running to do". Kakashi nods and then looks to both Sasuke and I before leaving us alone.

It's silent until Sasuke motions towards the fire, "Why don't you warm up before we go anywhere? We can plan how we're going to do to get on Orochimaru's good side".

I nod once to myself before taking off the cloak and settling down. "So...I know you'll be welcomed with open arms. But me? Daddy dearest knows that I wouldn't so willingly come unless I had a good enough reason to...But...I know my origin. I'm plenty strong too". What the hell could I use to my advantage?

Sasuke is silent as I ponder until, "What about love?"

I blink, pulled from my thoughts, and my dark orbs meet his own, "Hah?"

His face is blank as he says this. Ahh, the famous Uchiha 'mission mode' runs strongly through his veins. "Women, when introduced to love, tend to fall hard enough that they'd follow the man they love to the ends of the earth. When you factor in a kunoichi's average loyalty level into that, these facts only become stronger. What if you pretended to love me?"

My eyes narrow, "You know what you're implying...Right? That would mean that I'd have to cheat on Kakashi with you just to take Orochimaru down".

"He said do anything in our power. Orochimaru needs to go down," you sly fox. Have you been spending time with Naruto? Only a fox like him would bend words like that to convince another.

Even so, fox-bent words or no, he's right. I've seen- and felt- what love will do to a kunoichi. While it makes them weak in some aspects, it also makes them strong. The same thing goes for shinobi, but not as intensely. "...Very well," I tell him with a sigh, "Up until the mission is over, from this point forward...I love you, Sasuke". His eyes widen to the point where I think they'd pop out of his head if they became wider. However, as they hold that position, I can see the look in his eyes. It's similar to the look that entered Kakashi's when I said 'yes' to going out with him, yet...Something even stronger. Thus is the power of his obsession over me.

He opens his arms, a small smile spreading across his face as he does so, "Come here then". He wants me to sit in his lap? "You're gonna have to get used to me holding you if you want it to be realistic," good point, "We'll leave tomorrow. Tonight...We stay here. Come here".

I sigh before standing, and walking to the young man and standing in front of him. He reaches up and takes my hand with one of his own, and pulls me down so that I'm sitting between his legs. His frame doesn't fit as perfectly between my wings as Kakashi's does, he's a bit thin, but I'll get used to it somehow. It seems the scent of campfire is something that is shared between the two brothers. But where Itachi smells of mint and campfire, Sasuke smells of campfire and cinnamon. Over the years, I've learned that I am a scent person. I love to smell things, and it's even better when I smell them and find that I love the smell. This is why when ever I can, I cuddle close with Kakashi- though I make sure he's fine with it, he normally is- and just breathe through my nose. He's yet to be beaten in the art of smelling good. Like I said when he asked me out, he is the god of smelling good. Sasuke, like Itachi, smells pretty damn good himself. Nothing in comparison to my lover, but still pretty damn good. I feel him wrap his arms around my waist once I'm settled, and his chin lowers to rest on my shoulder. As he does this, I can feel the hold on my frame tighten. My dark eyes travel to look at him the best they can, "You okay?"

His eyes trail to me, "...Now I am," he tells me. "This feels...Right to me. I can't wait until three years are up. Then I can show you how strong I've gotten".

"Sasuke...Love isn't about strength," I tell him, "It has nothing to do with how strong you are. It has to do with the kind of person you are". I was hoping he'd realize this by now. "And how compatible it is when it comes to the one you think you love. If you find yourself going out with someone, and the relationship last years through thick and thin, then you've most likely found the one to spend the rest of your life with. If that happens, then you won't have an issue with knowing everything about your other half. You say you love me...But the truth is, we barely know anything about each other".

Sasuke is silent, and again his hold has become stronger unwilling to let go. I watch his facial expression go from confusion, to understanding, and then back to determination within three hours. That's right. For three hours I just watch him and sit there in silence. Boring as all hell, but still it needs to be done. "Then...Let's get to know one another," he tells me, "Let's see how compatible we are with one another".

"...Just like that?" My brows furrow.

"I know I love you. I want you to see that you love me too. If that means we have to better get to know one another then yes," the young Uchiha insists. Damn it. He's still stuck on that? In his defense...I guess I did kind of word that wrong.

I mentally sigh. Damn my inability to word things right! "Alright," I concede, "We'll play a game called 'twenty questions'. You have to be absolutely truthful, got it?" He nods, "Good. You go ahead and ask me questions. Careful what you choose them to be; you only have twenty and that's it".

Sasuke nods, "...Are you really Orochimaru's daughter?"

I shake my head, "I don't consider myself to be. He says I got my eyes from him during my creation, but I don't know whether that's true or not. Over all, I don't consider him a father nor myself his daughter".

"If you could choose," he starts, "What would your name be? Other than the one you have now that is?"

Other than the name I have now? But my name is so fitting! "I'd have to go with the name 'Jikken' for experiment. Seeing as that's what I am".

"What's your favorite color?"

"Blue, like my Aoikassai jutsus".

"How old are you really?"

"That's a good one...I'm...Kakashi is twenty six...I'm currently twenty four- two years younger then him, three years older than Itachi, and seven years older than yourself".

"How is it that your transplanted eyes can switch between Sharingan and normal eyes, when Kakashi's can't?"

"I'm not really fully sure on how it works. They were given to me as normal black eyes as you know. But when I tried to channel chakra into them, they became the Sharingan. Maybe I have Uchiha blood in me? Or maybe the fact that Kakashi can't turn his eye back is because chakra was trapped in Obito's eyes when he was killed, and it did something to the eye for it to be unable to turn back".

"If you could get rid of one of your oddest attributes, which would it be?"

"That's a good one...But I don't know. My tail is already gone; I used it the least in general. But even though my wings get in the way from time to time, they carry me faster than I can run. And I love flying in general. My claws get in the way too, but I can sheathe them," I hold up a hand of sheathed claws, "So it's not like they're a huge bother. My fangs? I don't bite people unless I really have to, but they're not an issue either". Fourteen more questions to go.

"What's your favorite commonly used jutsu?"

"Mmmmm...Commonly used?...I'd have to say...Probably Gokyaku no Jutsu".

"Your favorite combination?"

"Gokyaku and Kami Kaze. Those together are insanely awesome," I grin, harmlessly bearing fangs.

"If you were to consider yourself a master of a type of chakra nature transformation, which would it be?"

"Uhhhhh...Well, I'm evenly good at doing Fuuton and Katon...But my real specialty comes through pre-molding the chakra in my body before it's released to make Aoikassai. My weakest attacks can be stronger than A-ranked attacks of either Fuuton or Katon. And if going against either of them, Aoikassai is just made even stronger"

"What's your weakest nature transformation?"

"Water, by far," I laugh out, "Can't ever get jutsus for that element to work with me. It's like we're natural enemies or something". I see a small smirk on his lips. Two more.

"What is your favorite tea and food?"

"Jasmine tea all the way baby," I grin out, "As for food...Gyoza".

"...What's your biggest regret?"

The grin falls from my lips in an instant. My biggest regret. The hate I feel for myself but keep hidden from even Kakashi himself..., "...My biggest regret?" My hand raises up to the scar on my neck, the one Tobi gave me when I was fighting him for the first time. When he killed Saiai, Churitsu and Nikun, he made it bigger. It's the length of my middle finger now; just the finger, not the claw. "...Not being strong enough to protect those I care about". Sasuke is silent. "I'm plenty strong, yes, an Anbu Captain. But there's those out there who are S-ranked and could kill my loved ones in no time at all. Those such as Tobi, Pein- the leader of the Akatsuki- and anyone really from that group. There are enemy shinobi who would gladly kill my friends and make me watch as punishment for being weak. I know I can get there," I look at him, as my eyes had dropped to my lap, "But there's just...something blocking my way. Like a wall or something like it is keeping me at my current state". I sigh. "If I end up training under Orochimaru...I hope to finally pass that wall. Finally break through it as I've been trying to do ever since I reached Anbu level. I know it seems that I'm constantly getting stronger; you saw how easily I took out Guzen...And then I'm stronger than Kakashi who's a high A-ranked shinobi. But in reality, with Guzen I wasn't trying hard and that's one of the few times you've seen me fight. With Kakashi, I have to go all out. However...I just can't make it to S-ranked like I want. There has to be some way for me to reach that goal. If I can do that, and use that power to protect my loved ones...I'd be happy".

Sasuke is silent until, "You'll make it. I know you will; a wall can't stop you for much longer. It's your turn to ask questions".

I sigh before nodding once, "Alright then. First question. Do you like sweets?"

"No," is his immediate answer. A shame.

"Favorite color?"

"Blue. Like your hair and Chidori".

"Why, when you were pretending to not remember me, did you refer to me as an angel?"

"Because that's what you looked like even before your wings had feathers. To me you were an angel that came to protect me. My guardian angel. My angel," he answers, meeting my black gaze. A hand trails down the edge of one of my wings, causing a shiver to run down my spine. They're sensitive appendages. Kakashi likes to run his fingers through my feathers when he wants something, when he's trying to get me to forgive him for being stupid, or even when we're about to or are having sex. I said they're sensitive, touching them is also a turn on to an extent.

"What's your favorite jutsu?"

"Chidori".

"Who do you want to fight the most?"

"Kakashi. After that it's Itachi and yourself".

"If you could change your name, would you? If so, to what?" Fourteen left.

"I wouldn't change it".

"Favorite animal?"

"Crow" Heh. Just like his brother. Maybe it's an Uchiha thing?

"Would you consider yourself a master at lightning nature chakra transformation?"

"No. Not yet".

"What do you primarily use your Sharingan for?"

"Predicting moves and seeing through genjutsu. Copying jutsu is just a bonus".

"If you had no choice, as in they were the last two women on earth, who would you rather have sex with? Sakura or Ino?"

"Sakura. At least she's of decent strength and isn't that annoying anymore. Ino is still fairly annoying".

"If you had succeeded in defecting from Konoha...Would you have ever come back?"

"Not until he was dead". That's...Understandable.

"Were you ever told the plans for the Uchiha clan before Tobi came along?"

"No".

"I'll tell you. Itachi and Kakashi were to trap the stronger members of the Uchiha in a powerful genjutsu and make them think that the village was under attack. It'd be contained, and the clan was to tear itself apart. Anyone who survived- other than yourself- was going to be killed by my hand while Kakashi and Itachi recovered from doing the jutsu. With that in mind...Do you still love me?"

Sasuke is silent for a moment, and from the corner of my eye I can practically see the wheels turning in his head until, "Yes. The fact that it didn't happen is what matters".

Stubborn and loyal huh? What a combination. "What's the nature transformation that you're worst at?"

"Wind".

"What's your strongest natural element affinity?"

"Lightning". Five left.

"In the past you openly hated Naruto- made fun of him, put him down, the works- do you still hate him?"

"No. I've realized that he just learned a different way than I did. The fact that he's a Genin still is frightening. He should be a Jonin like myself. He's more of a brother and rival now".

"Have you ever had alcohol?"

"Not really. A taste from Itachi but that's it".

"When you come of age to drink, are you gonna go to the bar or drink at home?"

"Most likely go to the bar; there is no drinking alcohol in our home".

"If you can't win my heart, what will you do?"

"I don't plan on being unable to win your heart".

"Last question: If you were to have a child with whomever you end up with in the future- myself or someone else- would you want a boy or a girl?"

"So long as they grew up to be good a good person and a strong shinobi, I don't care". Oh, good answer kiddo. Something that any woman wants to hear- it's a good thing he's telling the truth. "We should sleep; it's getting late".

I nod, and move to stand, only for my frame to be kept in Sasuke's hold, "We're going to bed, right?"

"This place was just made with a single floor. We're sleeping on the floor".

"Okay...Still, you wanna let me go?" I question, looking to him with a raised brow and a twitch of my wings. He looks at me for a long while before sighing, and letting me go. I in turn stand and stretch before laying down before the fire on my left side. My left wing stays furled to my back. The other stretches out over my body. I sleep soundly that night, up until Sasuke decides he's going to roll me over and pull my front to his. Too tired to push him away- and the valid point of having to get used to cuddling with someone not Kakashi, especially what with our mission- I simply deal with it, and wrap my wing around him as well like a blanket.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27:**

Unfortunately, we end up having to travel for six hours through a blizzard. That wasn't fun at all. But it was well worth it, seeing as this seems to be the easiest find of Orochimaru's hide outs yet. Probably due to the fact that it's kind of hard to make a giant hideout in frozen ground. As we make our way through the opening of the place, the place being a cave, the first thing we're greeted with is kunai to our throats. My eyes narrow, but I hold my ground, and Sasuke does the same.

"What do you want?" Unknown shinobi number one, the one holding the kunai to Sasuke's throat, demands.

"And who are you?" Unknown shinobi number two continues.

"We wish to see Orochimaru," I state simply.

"Oh?" US1 (Unknown Shinobi 1) chuckles out, sneering at an emotionless Uchiha. "And just why would we do that?"

"Well," I smile lightly in the direction of the man hidden by the shadows of the cave, "I'm sure he'd love to find out that Sasuke Uchiha and his own daughter have decided to stop by for a visit".

"Keh! 'Daughter'? Orochimaru-sama doesn't have a fuckin' daughter," US2 laughs out, pressing the blade of his kunai against my throat harder, drawing blood.

"Actually," a third voice appears in the cave, and like a light switch has been flipped, the cave is filled with light. "He does". The man before Sasuke and I is someone I thought I killed. Kabuto. Wonder how the hell he lived? "And he doesn't want you laying another hand on her, nor his student".

"K-Kabuto-sama!" Both US1 and US2 intone, surprised. Seriously, where did that guy come from? "S-Student?"

Kabuto continues to smile that creepy little smile, adjusting his rounded glasses as he does so, "Yes. Release them at once; they'll be coming with me". The order doesn't have a chance to ring through the cave's emptiness, as the two hidden by the shadows remove their kunai from our throats and stumble back. My eyes land on the silver haired man I almost killed three years ago. "This way if you will, Sasuke-kun, Cross-chan," he motions and turns, walking the way he seems to have come from. Where he leads us is a hidden door along the back wall of the cave. The door slides open for us, and closes seconds after we've entered a tunnel that leads to stairs in like five steps. The stairs are rather steep, but Sasuke seems to manage it despite the dark, and Kabuto doesn't have a problem with it at all. I mentally sigh. Sasuke's gonna milk this mission and the position I have to play like a farmer would a cow- every chance he gets. Still, I do have a role to play, and as such my hand searches for Sasuke's and finds it quickly before taking it and twining our fingers. It's an odd feeling to twine my fingers with someone who isn't Kakashi, but I'll get over it. I have to. I feel him jump at the sudden sensation of my hand doing as I've said, and then relax completely before returning the hold. He uses our connected hands to pull me closer as we continue down the stairs. When we hit a level ground, we're so far down that you can't possibly feel the cold- in fact it's warm down here. The tunnel we come to is connected with most likely dozens of other ones and lit just like this one- dimly. We walk down this main tunnel-hallway and then take a right after passing a few other ones, and then stop at a door a bit a ways down this new hall and on the left side. Kabuto knocks, "Orochimaru-sama. You have guests".

"Guests, is it?" The older man calls through the closed door, "Let them in".

"Yes sir," the silver haired man does just this, opening the door for us to walk in and closing the door once we do so.

Orochimaru is found sitting up in a bed, his frame mostly covered by blankets. Next to his bed is a nightstand, and about three feet away on the same wall is a desk covered with books and papers- most likely notes on something. Next to the door is a large book case, filled to the brim with books that have overs of all sorts of colors and names ranging from stuff I can pronounce to things I'm not even gonna try to pronounce. My eyes travel back to the golden eyed Orochimaru, whom is currently wearing a rather large smile on his face having probably quickly gotten over the surprise. "Sasuke-kun, Datenshi, what a surprise". That's not my name you fucker, "To what do I owe this pleasant and welcome happening?"

Sasuke's face is blank as he answers with, "Two and a half years ago, you said you'd train me. I've managed to defect; train me. I have a man that I need to kill, and I've wasted two and a half years being under watch by own damn brother".

"Oh? Is that what kept you? Very well...However, do explain to me just why my lovely daughter is holding your hand?" Orochimaru presses, golden eyes seeing our joined palms.

I roll my black orbs, "I love him, why else would I be holding his hand?"

Orochimaru's eyes widen, and an even bigger smile- damn that thing, as creepy as it is, gives Naruto's a run for its money- at the news. Why is he so pleased? "You do, do you? Datenshi, I would have figured you'd fall for someone older; his brother, perhaps?"

"Itachi is not who I want," I tell him simply, "Sasuke is. He's strong, he takes what he wants, and he's loyal. Not to the village, but to me. That's all I've come to care about in the passed two and a half years".

"This is surprising. My little Datenshi, my prized daughter, falling for my soon to be all powerful student. A father such as myself couldn't ask for more". Shut the fuck up you sick freak! Ugh. You're not my dad, my name's 'Cross', not 'Datenshi'.

"Her name is Cross, Orochimaru, not Datenshi," Sharingan eyes of the Uchiha boy glare at Orochimaru.

The snake man seems very amused at the moment, "Oh? It seems you return her feelings, Sasuke-kun?"

"Of course I do. She saved me from Tobi; she's my angel. My patience has won me her favor," Sasuke blandly says, emotionless mask on his face but his eyes speak of the emotions he allows to surface.

Orochimaru chuckles, "While I believe you through and through, Sasuke-kun, I'm inclined to fear that my little girl is a bit of a liar. However, if she can prove how she feels for you through physical demonstration, I'd be more inclined to believe her".

My eyes narrow at the man, my hold on Sasuke growing tighter and my frame inching closer this own, "How?"

"A simple kiss is all I need to see," Orochimaru grins out, licking his lips. "You don't mind a little PDA in front of your own father, do you?"

I look to Sasuke, meeting his gaze, and paint a smile I'm sure neither Sasuke nor Orochimaru have ever seen before. It's a rare smile that I try to only give Kakashi. However, I need this gentle and fangless loving smile right now. "I don't mind at all," I whisper, before deciding to make an advance. I'm sorry Kakashi. I'm so sorry. When I get home, I'm not leaving your side for two weeks, and I'm kissing you every single chance I damn well get. My black eyes meet with Sharingan orbs that in his surprise to my advance Sasuke deactivates. I continue to push until he's against a wall. He's not that much shorter than myself, but in these kunai heeled sandals I gain about two inches, making me a total of five foot nine in these babies. No matter, though, as I lower my lips to Sasuke's own. Our lips brush, before I passionately press mine to his. I can feel a large shutter roll through Sasuke's body as my hands now rest on his chest, and a silent but large gasp enters his lungs. I kiss him as though he were my actual lover, fingers playing with the flack jacket that he still wears- as he's still in his usual Konoha attire. My left hand trails down his torso until I find where shirt and pants collide, and hook my fingers into the edge of his pants, pulling his hips to my own. I don't know about Sasuke, but I know that Kakashi loves when I do that...Looks like Sasuke loves it too, because his arms are around my waist now that he's gotten over his initial shock. His lips respond to mind in a way that makes me think he's been holding back to kiss someone for way too long.

The hand that had been simply resting on his chest is quick to unzip the flack jacket and rest on his actual chest. I let out a light gasp as suddenly the tables are turned, and I find myself on the wall instead of him, my wings unfurled in order for my back to actually meet the wall. As this happens, I loose control of the session what with Sasuke taking control. One of his knees rests high between my legs and against the wall, forcing my legs to over all spread apart for him. His hands take my arms and rest them on his shoulders. I try to pull away, seeing as things are getting a little too heated for my liking. However Orochimaru has yet to call it enough of a demonstration. What the fuck?! Is he getting off on this shit or something?! Once my arms are around his neck and holding on, I have to keep to my role no matter what, he takes one of my legs and wraps it around his waist, bringing our pelvises closer together. I bite back a whimper as my body enjoys the attention against my command. Damn you body! Fuck you! Fuck you! We're Kakashi's damn it! My body doesn't give a fuck right now, and a shiver runs down my spine as our hips meet closer than earlier.

"Alright Sasuke-kun, Datenshi, I see the heat of your passion," Orochimaru states after my leg is wrapped around him and holding him close. Sasuke doesn't listen until a few seconds later. His shoulders heave for air, and so do mine. My face is a bright pink. Damn he's aggressive. Part of my body likes it, too. That's not a good thing at all. Golden eyes trial to me, "Datenshi...You and Sasuke-kun may share a room so long as there is no constant sex, for starters. I don't need little Uchihas running around this place...Yet". A coy smile spreads across his lips. "Second, you are to call me 'father', 'daddy', or 'dad'. I prefer 'Daddy'".

"You've...," pause to catch my breath, "Gotta be kidding me".

"Not at all," the white skinned man, "I could demand more, if you'd like".

"Hell no, you ba...I mean...No thanks...Daddy," I'm gonna have to wash my mouth with soap.

"Kukukukukukukukukuku," the snake man chuckles. "Very good, Datenshi. Kabuto will show you to your room, you two. You may leave". We move to do so, Sasuke's arm around my waist as opposed to us holding hands. "Oh, and Sasuke-kun?" We stop, "Do change from that dreadful outfit, will you?"

"Of course," Sasuke states blandly, before we leave the room. Kabuto has been waiting for us, and therefore as soon as we walk out he's already leading us somewhere else. Further into the base we go, taking twists and turns this way and that before coming to a door which is then opened for us. On the right wall is a relatively large bed, and on the wall across from the door is a desk and a book case. On the left wall is a closet and another door- I'm guessing to a bathroom.

"This is your room, you two. I'm sure Orochimaru-sama has already mentioned it but I request that there is no constant sex. I am a medical shinobi, but I'm not trained in birthing a child or children. Please wait to restore your clan after you've taken care of your foe. If you do have sex, please take precautions. Now if you'll excuse me, Sasuke-kun, Cross-chan, I have things to do". The silver haired man leaves us at that.

What I wasn't expecting- I really should have- was Sasuke pulling me into the room and closing and locking the door behind him. Next thing I know, my hands are being held above my head and lips are smashed onto my own. I gasp through my nose, and pull away from the lips. "Sasuke, no one's watching any more. You don't have to kiss me".

"Sorry," the young Uchiha states as his knee slides high between my legs, "I just have so much pent up 'frustration' that I need to let out. All of it's been about you. If I don't do something now, I'll do something I regret later".

"Such as?" I question with narrowed eyes.

"I may try to rape you," he tells me bluntly, making my eyes widen. "I won't try anything sexual here, but just go with what I give".

"Like hell!" I move to push him off, only for my eyes to widen as I'm slammed against the door again. I forgot that he's one of the few men- along with Kakashi, Naruto and Itachi- that can beat me in brute strength. "Sasuke let me-" the command isn't finished as lips smash onto mine again. He knee hikes higher and collides with my person gently, sitting there. Okay! That's enough! A low growl rips from my throat as chakra jumps alive, eyes change to that of Sharingan orbs, and claws are unsheathed. I push as hard as I can, moving to the side before lashing down with my claws. Sasuke, having quick reflexes even as he currently is, barely gets around them. However, I don't let up, wings furling to my back for speed and my body lunging forward. Next thing the boy knows, I'm sure, is that he's on the floor with claws to his throat and angry fangs bared in his face. "I said let me go," I snarl out. If I still had a tail, it'd be lashing from side to side angrily. My facial expression will have to do.

"C-Cross...," Sasuke gasps out, black orbs wide. "I-I...".

"I know there's a lot of pent up sexuality, and I understand that. However, I'm not some bitch you can force yourself upon in any way. Try that again, and you'll see just how scary I can be". He attempts to get up, his hands- which aren't pinned- move to push from the floor. A claw however is found at his throat, and another at his balls, "Got it?"

Sasuke glares at me, obvious pent up lust in those orbs. That is until another growl escapes me. Like a good boy, he locks away the lust and closes his eyes for a moment. When they open, they're back to normal, calm and collected but still holding that ever present yearning look. "Got it".

"Good," I snap, standing and releasing him. I turn away from him as he stands, arms crossed under my bust and claws rhythmically tapping my sides. I look over my shoulder in his direction. "Go take a cold shower; it'll help your friend," I can't say 'little' because it's not by the size of the budge in his pants, "Calm down". He's silent before turning and opening the unexplored door, showing it to be a bathroom indeed. It shuts behind him, and a moment later the sound of rushing water is heard. I sigh and flop onto the bed, resting one hand on my stomach and the corresponding foot flat on the bed. The unsheathed claws of my left hand ghost over my mouth, "Too close," I tell myself, sheathing my claws and covering myself with my wings loosely, "Way too close". Red orbs go back to being black, and my world is replaced by dreams.

Three months pass. Three grueling months that consist of training, dealing with having to call Orochimaru some sort of fatherly title, and Sasuke's advances on me even when we don't have to act like we have a thing for one another. I sigh. Part of me wonders what would have happened if Itachi really did go through murdering his whole family save Sasuke- that was the initial plan before the told me about it. He was to kill his family with his own hands, and then become a missing nin for the sake of the village. I wonder. Would Sasuke be this kind of boy? Or would he be some emotionless, revenge bent person who knew nothing but lies as to why Itachi did it? Which is worse? I sigh. Honestly I don't know. I weave this way and that from person to person, lacky to lacky that 'daddy-kins' has offered to me to fight. These are nothing. Even with each of them bearing the curse seal that Orochimaru loves so much, they're nothing. And yet I haven't even gotten that much stronger. Faster, a bit stronger physically...And yet I'm still stuck under the roof that caps off my power.

I know it's there! I just need to find a way passed the roof and to the sky that's the limit! Unlike Sasuke, whom all this time has only been knocking his opponents out, I've killed every single one of mine. I sigh as I walk the halls. Sasuke has already left the building saying that he'll be doing some more destructive training and that he needs and open sky in order to to so. That's what he told Kabuto, who I'm sure by now has told Orochimaru, whom I'm sure has sent people to make sure that Sasuke doesn't try to run away. After all, Orochimaru's body transfer ritual thing is due to happen very soon. He's been getting more and more sickly by the day. Sasuke and I already talked about who would kill him. I have the complete right, seeing as he's my 'father'. I suppose I'm a hypocrite, getting revenge on Orochimaru for creating me and telling Sasuke that revenge leads to no where. However, I'm also not. I didn't go searching for Orochimaru like Sasuke wanted to look for Tobi that's for sure.

I smile as I hear the beautiful sound of hacking from behind a familiar door. Awww daddy-kins is getting worse. Poor baby!~ My claws unsheathe as my left hand acts as though it's holding the hilt of a sword. Fuuton: Kaze no Yaiba, do your thing. That thing is, being a blade made of wind. It easily makes its way through the door, and connects with something.

"Kaze no Yaiba? Who...?" Orochimaru mutters from behind the door. It's now that I lash out with my free hand, claws cutting through the thick door like butter, and chunks of door falling once weakened enough. "...Datenshi?...I should have known; you'd never truly betray your village for a lover. You're so loyal to my former home".

"Your time on this planet is over, Orochimaru. The only one who has the right to live as long as you have and remain a young age is me; a creature that is meant to age slowly," I tell him simply. "I have to thank you though, creating me the way you did. I've always wondered just how exactly I was created," I allow him to move his arms to the side, however my Kaze no Yaiba extends and now pins his arms completely, the tip digging into the wall. "The first time I left the village, after my first defeat by Tobi's hands...Lead me back to my birth place. There, I found notes of what exactly I am. I never knew for absolute sure until recently, having found your archives and the notes you wrote on me over the years. 'Day 176: Subject shows promise of surviving through complete life. She is growing slowly in her home, however I suspect that is due to the Uzumaki blood I've put in her to help support what I've made her to be. A Fallen Angel, the result of a demon and angel of old times mating. She is therefore a Succubus, the female version of the male counterpart being Incubus'. 'Day 589: I've decided to name this little faux angel Datenshi, for Fallen Angel. A constant reminder of my success for me, and a constant reminder of what she is for her'. 'Day 2,672: Datenshi is a powerful little one. She seems that she'll be a perfect student once she is taken out of her incubator. When strong enough, I plan on getting the Sharingan and replacing her pretty yellow eyes with those. The Uchiha DNA- though as little as it is- both supports the potency of her chakra levels created by her species. It will also allow her to fully accept the Sharingan eyes, giving her an Uchiha look in that she has black eyes that can change to the Uchiha Dojutsu'. 'I have no time to write a date. As of now, the girl is thirteen years old. In a year I will return to retrieve her from her tank. However for now I must flee, Konoha has reached this nest'. Uzumaki DNA to help with the longevity that you bestowed on me by finding ancient demon and angel DNA and fertilizing not a human's egg, but a dragon's that you stole from the Tsu family back before you fled from the village. That's why my wings were scalely for so long until Tobi ripped them off for the second time, and it's also what helped with my life span. Not only that, but you knew that if I had Uzumaki blood in me, I'd have massive reserves. Uchiha blood, to make my chakra extra potent, allow the acceptance of Sharingan eyes, and have an ace in the hole if I ever came upon a Jinchuriki that decided they'd take me down with their tailed beast form. Not only that, but add that to the fact that I was hatched from a dragon's egg, I had a dragon's strength- equivalent to Tsunade-sama's- in this tiny body of mine. Or, I have the potential to. Now that I know the complete truth...I don't need you any more. And I am stronger than you, daddy," I spit out the last word. I rush him. Letting my wind blade continue to pin him even as he tries to move his arms to protect himself. I lash down with my free hand, as Orochimaru looks at me with opened jaws and wide golden eyes. Something black spits out of his mouth, and I sigh, stopping my rush at him by simply standing on his bed. Kaze no Yaiba is released; the husk on the bed is nothing but shed skin. I tilt my head as before me now is something that's rather familiar. A large, white scaled snake. Just like the one my chakra had destroyed not long after I had been freed from my glass prison. "Oh look, a white scaled snake. Would have never guessed that that was you, daddy. This is your true form huh?" I'm not impressed. However, just to make sure nothing bad can happen, black orbs turn into glaring Sharingan. I may not have black hair, but now I no why my facial structure is so close to both Naruto's and the Uchiha brothers'. My eyes are the shape and now color of Itachi's and Sasuke's. However my jaw is that of Naruto's lost family's. I figure I give a good enough Uchiha glare, seeing as the look in Orochimaru's eyes is not a happy one.

"Datenshi...Die now!" Orochimaru demands, lashing down with large fangs. He is slow, however, and I jump, ending up above the snake. The scales that make up his form turn out to actually be many many white snakes. Two of which spring from Orochimaru and at me. My claws easily rid me of them. I land on all fours, only to flip onto two legs and claw at more snakes that are sent my way. This is all Orochimaru has in his sickly state? I would have thought with all the power he had when he was well, he'd have more as a sick man.

I sigh and roll my black haori clad shoulders, watching as snakes make their way around my feet. I want to, but I don't pick up my heel and slam the kunai that is the heel of my sandal into one of said snakes. "A snake that lived n the ground dreampt of soaring in the sky even though it was impossilbe. The snakes cover my frame completely. Encasing my person and wiggling into a position where they may harm me this way or that. "Still, hoping beyond hope, it kept its eye on a baby bird that stayed perched in its own nest. However...What this snake didn't realize," as the snakes around me begin to squeeze, with nothing but my wings I push back, causing the snakes to break and literally rip apart. I now stand before the man who created me with fully spread fourteen foot wings. Hey, just because they're my weakest point, doesn't mean they're not strong. They gotta carry my fat ass around you know. "The snake had become the pray because that bird, is a falcon ready to take to the sky". Orochimaru hisses like the snake he is, obviously unhappy with the results of me killing his little friends.

"Datenshiiii!" Orochimaru snarls out, jaws wide as more white snakes come at me with a vengeance.

I sneer at him, Sharingan eyes ablaze, "My name is Cross, you fucker!" Just before the snakes can hit me, I use the replacement jutsu, positioning me in the air, claws at the ready. Upon my command, on my right hand of claws, simple blue fire dances on this is not a jutsu. It's simply proper chakra manipulation. I swing this hand down, and the blue fire extends from my claws, and makes contact with the snakes that came at me. The're dead and crispy snake jerky in a second.

"Datenshiii!" Seriously? Is he only gonna call me that? Asshole. He lunges forward, jaws wide open and coming at me from above. Is that drool? Ew.

His mouth comes around me, and in a single gulp on his part I'm in his stomach. I sigh, before with my right fire covered hand I lash out again, cutting through him easily due to my claws and the wind attribute that is part of this fire. This leaves me covered in his blood, and Orochimaru in multiple pieces. I stare at his downed form, letting the fire on my claws die away even though I figure it's not quite over. "That's it? Pops, you suck balls," I was seriously expecting mo- Oh, there it is. I grunt and fall to a knee, my wings becoming nothing but uttlerly limb, the muscles in them numb to the bone. My body shakes as it attempts to hold me up. What?

Orochimaru's voice chuckles proudly, "Ahh, there we go. The bodily fluids of the great serpent evaporate upon greeting the air. They create a gas that numbs the body; I see it's working already". And now he's like a worm; split in half but still alive. Weird. "I am the one that is immortal, eternal! Not even your most powerful jutsu can stand up to me! Now...Die!"

I look up at him with ready Sharingan eyes. It is dark, and then...Sliminess is felt. I stand in a mass of wiggling, writhing stuff that I won't even try to give a name. So this is what Orochimaru's mind is like. It's gross. Still, I'm not quite too sure if this is what his subconscious looks like. "Where am I...Exactly?"

More chuckling from the snake, "This is the universe within myself," yup, his gross subconscious, "Normally this is where the transference ritual would occur. And it would occur now if you were Sasuke. However seeing as you are you, Datenshi...No...I'll take you instead of him Sharingan eyes and the blood of both angel, demon, Uzumaki and Uchiha? Along with the eyes? You are the perfect body. Now I see!" Uhh. No I'm not. All I see is a mass of wiggling nasty stuff and a tongue and part of his face. I'll say it again. Ew. "Shall we begin?"

I shiver as the slimy stuff crawls onto me, around me other masses with faces in them. I figure that those are the past people he's taken over. Sharingan eyes look to golden power hungry orbs. My eyes narrows, imitating the Uchiha glare.

"Ahh...What wonderful visual prowess. Even for someone not fully of Uchiha blood. Those eyes...Will be mine once and for all. No second tries, no mistakes. They're mine," Orochimaru coos as I hold my ground. His person, tongue hanging out and all, slowly makes its way to me. And then, that's when I smirk from my spot.

"Orochimaru...You should know...These eyes? They see through all. Try as many jutsu as you like; you're no match for me," I grin. From my frame, blue fire bursts, and the flesh that began to utterly consume me when Orochimaru touched me, is burnt away ruthlessly. Nothing but smoldering as and burnt flesh is left behind.

"What? How is this possible?! This is my world! I created! It's my space!"

"You don't get it?" Behind me, a three headed blue fire made tiger stands, massive in size and obviously angry, "It's a battle of wills, obviously. And yours is weaker than mine. But I'm not going to take in your person, no no. Instead, I'll make you brain dead. And then I'll destroy your body".

"No! NOOOO! I am the Immortal Orochimaru! I will unlock the mysteries of nature! I-" fire consumes him.

I sigh and look at the body before me, before turning and smiling at the people in the hallway. "Kabuto? Sasuke?" I walk forward, kunai heels clicking against unforgiving stone. As I walk through the door way, both men I figured were there make their appearance.

"Cross? What were you doing there? Did Orochimaru choose you instead of him? Which one are you?" My my, full of questions the glasses wearing man is, isn't he?

Sasuke's only question was, "So you killed him?"

I smile and wink to Sasuke before turning to face Kabuto. With still awake Sharingan eyes, I show him what happened. From entering Orochimaru's world to burning it to nothing but ash and destroyed flesh.

"No way," Kabuto mutters, "Then Orochimaru-sama is dead".

I grin, showing him fangs, "Damn right medicine boy. I'd get out of here if I were you, I'm setting this whole place aflame once I'm upstairs with Sasuke here". It's then that I turn and walk with Sasuke through the halls that I had come to be used to. I can't wait to see what day time is like; I missed the sun. "You killed the guards at the entrance, right?"

"Right," Sasuke nods out.

"Good. Stand back," I tell him, my hands flying through signs at a rapid pace even as claws sheath. When I'm done, I command, "Aoikassai: Kidan no Kassai: Jigoku Dai Nana Jigoku Wa!" As though directing a large group of people to stand, my hands raise from below my belt to above my head, my wings splayed. And with a push once the blue fire is nice and high, said fire is sent down the stairs. I walk away, knowing that while that jutsu isn't the famed black fire Ameratsu that the Sharingan can apparently make, it's quite destructive. With the base aflame, we turn, and begin the long journey home.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Air Battle**

"Tsunade-sama, we're back from ki-" Sasuke is interrupted by the woman.

"Oh thank god you two are alright!" Tsunade stands from her desk, tawny eyes wide with relief. In the room are also Kakashi and Itachi, as well as Sakura and Shizune. She lets out a long breath, "I assume that your mission was a success? Where is Cross?"

I enter the room next, moving around Sasuke's frame in order to see the lot of them. "I'm right he-," I get interrupted too. However, it's by Kakashi whom wastes no time in walking forward and promptly pulling me into his chest. Arms are around my shoulders, and he holds me tight. I blink cluelessly. "Ummm...I missed you too?" I'm so lost right now.

"Thank god you're alive and well. Thank god," Kakashi mutters into my hair lowly.

"Sasuke," Itachi speaks up, I can hear the smile in his voice, "Welcome home".

"I'm home, Itachi," Sasuke nods back lightly. "Why is everyone so relieved?"

"You didn't get our distress call...Of course you wouldn't know," Kakashi speaks as he releases me only to walk around my frame and place himself between my furled wings and hold me by the waist.

"...About a week ago, a toad reported to us something rather unfortunate," Tsunade begins, "Jiraiya...Is dead". My eyes widen and my heart drops into my feet, body heat going with it. What? "A two months after you left to take care of Orochimaru, Itachi was summoned by Pein, and was given news of the fact that only he, you, Kisame, and Konan are the only followers left of the Akatsuki".

"When he summoned me, the clouds were dark and the sky red; a bad omen. So I sent a clone of myself instead. Pein ordered me to tell you that we'd best defect right away, as Akatsuki would be attacking Konoha in a few weeks. I had no choice but to blow our cover, and my clone was killed. Two days later, the toad came with the news of Jiraiya's death and the clue of, 'The real one is not among them' unfortunately we don't know what that means".

"All the same," Tsunade picks up, "Naruto left to go train after he had finished mourning for Jiraiya". That's twice now that he's lost his father. One he didn't even know, and the other he'd come to love like a real father. I feel tears welling up in my eyes. Oh Naruto...Sweet Naruto. I'm so sorry. I wish I could do something about that. My dearest Naruto. I didn't even get to thank the man for training Naruto in the first place. Tears drip down my face as this comes to mind. Thank you Jiraiya. For everything you did for Naruto.

"So...What now?" I command.

"Now...We wait," Tsunade sighs out. "We have no choice but to do just that. Go home, the lot of you, and get some rest. However stay on guard; we don't know when or how Pein is going to attack. Cross, don't worry about the report. So long as Orochimaru is dead, I don't care how you did it".

I nod once and sigh before turning to Kakashi, "Let's go to the roof". He raises a brow, but says nothing as he complies, holding my hand as he does so. The journey to the roof is a short and silent one, and once up there, I can't help but just stand near the front railing and look over the village. Kakashi stands at my side. "...Kakashi?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you," I tell him, my heart still sunk into my feet.

He smiles lightly to me from under his mask, "I love you too".

I smile lightly before backing up, and pulling an ever present scroll from my left shuriken pouch. Blood is smeared onto the parchment once opened up, and from it comes a familiar piano and stool. I sit, and sigh before beginning to play, letting the music ring through the air. Normally I would be nervous about playing in a spot where I'm sure the music will reach almost all of the village, but this is for Jiraiya. I snuff away the fear and shyness, and let my fingers play in the form of a song called 'Don't Leave'. I believe it to be appropriate. That night, Kakashi and I go home, and we just cuddle in his room until we sleep, me curled up to his chest and a wing covering both him and my front.

"MOVE! COME ON PEOPLE! GO GO!" I instruct through the pandemonium. What pandemonium? That of Pein and Konan's sudden attack. They infiltrated the village like it was nothing, and now there's multiple orange haired men and one Konan running around killing people and destroying things in general. "Fuku-Taicho!" I call out, and a man with brown hair and green eyes of about thirty years old reports, kneeling before me.

"Taicho," he greets.

"Kyofu," I tell him, "I'm giving you the job of getting these people out of here. Under no circumstance will you turn back to try and help me. Do you understand? I won't forgive you if you turn around and come back for me. I'll be fine".

"But...Taicho," Kyofu tries.

"No buts, Kyofu!" I tell him, looking in the direction of where a large two headed dog crashes its paws upon homes and people alike. On top of one of these heads is an orange haired figure. My wings spread and I point at him, "Do your duty damn it!" I push off, and head for the orange haired person at top speed. Two hands dig into shuriken pouches and with a fling of both arms, they're thrown. They fly straight and true...Until a large wing blocks them, ignoring the blood that is spilled due to the sharpness of the obsidian. I stop my forward motion, and my Sharingan eyes narrow with frustration. Getting to this guy is gonna be harder than usual. The drill beaked giant bird screeches at me, Rinnegan eyes glaring down. "Oh, what? You wanna go?! Fine! Bring it you freak!" I snarl before looking up. The bird looks up as well, and with a strong push of my wings, I head up into the air. The bird follows me swiftly with an angry cry. I look below me to see where the bird is when suddenly I find myself having to swerve to the side just to not get hit by the beak. However, I grunt as one of its legs lashes out with massive claws. I manage to dodge them, but still it was a surprise. Next thing I know, there's an angry cry that makes me look up. What I see is the bird flying down at me beak first with incredible speed for one its size. My hands fly through signs before I call out. "Aoikassai: Jigokuen no Tori!" Blue fire erupts around me, encasing my body but not harming it.

I know that around me is something of a shroud of fire in the shape of a bird. My wings push, and Next thing I know I and the blue fire bird shroud are rushing at the drill beaked bird. When we clash, I wince as the beak is actually quite hard, but I pay this no mind. Fire envelopes the bird, causing it to screech in pain. However it doesn't back off. Instead, its wings furl even tighter to its body, and like a drill it spins. Blood comes from the skin of my hands where the beak's tip meets me. However, I refuse to give in. I'm no where near done. I help my wings by putting chakra into them. They push against the falling momentum, and I look behind me to see where the ground is. Pretty damn close! "Come on wings! Let's go! Push damn you! PUSH! Raaaaah!" More chakra flows into my wings, and they continue to push until finally, finally, I begin to make some head way on this mother fucker. "Okay wings, now...Move!" My wings push again, and with the help of my chakra, they make the bird raise just enough for me to move to the side and cause the still spinning bird to fall to the side. It crashes on homes and shops alike, and I find myself panting. "Why the hell am I taking this bastard on by myself? Oh right, because I refuse to lose more lives. Damn my hero complex!" I look at my hands and see that the damage, while it's not too bad, it's still pretty bad. They hurt like I just stuck them in my own fire. The bird stands, but I refuse to let it take to the sky again. Like hell that's going to happen. "Take this you mother fucker," I yell up to the bird, getting its attention as it tries to stand up again. "Aoikassai: Kindan no Kassai: Jigoku no Dai Mōka Wa!" Unlike Jigoku no Dai Nana Jigoku Wa, this attack is not in the form of a giant wave of fire. Instead, it's in the form of blue fire twisters. Twenty of them to be exact. And each of them with enough power in them to easily floor someone like Kakashi or Guy if hit by just one. If hit by all twenty...Well you're dead multiple times over obviously. The blue fire twisters dance around me, the sky above us turning dark and gray and unforgiving.

I snarl before directing with my hands for the twisters to go on forward. They move as fast as your average twister, which is of a distance speed, raging forward and burning all in their path. It's a good thing no one else is here. The bird by now is on its feet. Upon seeing the blue fire twisters, it takes to the sky, and I follow it. So long as my chakra is feeding those twisters, they'll follow the designated target. The bird flying straight up allows the twisters to surround it as though trapping it in a cage. And when it realizes that they're sky high, it tries to break through the fire that closes in on it. I fly my way to it as the fire continues to close in on it, and look from my claws to the eyes that glare at me. "Bye bye," I snarl out as I shoot forward, getting around its beak and stopping only when claws are imbedded into the bird's eye. Blood spurts out as a result, and the bird thrashes. The result is it getting burned with every time it hits a twister. I move to the other eye, and repeat the process of destroying it. It's then that the bird tries to fly forward, only to run into fire. From just above it, I look to the twisters sneer at the bird. My hands with splayed fingers and claws stops the twisters movements, and chakra strings connect to these twisters, two per finger. I clench my hands into fists- or rather, the best fists I can make with unsheathed claws- and the twisters connect and collide in order to create one large fire tornado. The tornado continues to close in on the bird, but leaves me be. In other words, the tornado consumes the bird until I deem it dead. When I do, the fire disperses. My eyes now travel to the Pein that has been riding on the two headed dog. "Hey fucker!" I call out to the being, "You're next, asshole". That said, I dive bomb towards him, only leveling out when I'm low enough and charge his way. There's nothing to stop me, even if there is a giant centipede or a giant crab fighting other squads of shinobi. No no, I will settle for nothing but the multi-headed dog and the man atop one of its heads.

The orange haired man looks to me before tapping on the head he stands on, making it turn in my direction. When one Rinnegan filled head sees me, so does the other. The massive dog's black rimmed mouths snarl at me, showing me rows of teeth sharp as any sword. I in turn bear my own fangs and claws. The dog charges, its master low and holding on with one hand as it goes. As one set of jaws snaps at me, I fly away from the teeth, only to have to fly through the other set. A paw of claws lashes down at me as the dog snarls. I concentrate wind and fire natured chakra and mix the two which is then sent to cover my wings in full. This is a move I like to call Aoikassai: Goka Tsubasa. It requires no handsigns, and only a little bit of the mixed chakra. However, it's very powerful even with the minimal amount of power poured into it.

I growl as my fire covered wings push me forward. As the first head comes back down again, I weave around his mouth once more. Though this time, instead of just letting his second head repeat the same action over and over again. I land on the first head's face, digging long claws into the upper lip just by the nose- where the whiskers reside- to the point that my actual fingers are making contact with the flesh. The dog yowls in pain and begins to shake and thrash his head back and forth, trying to get me off. However, I stand my ground. As a paw comes down at me to force me off despite the pain that'd cause him, my right wing- the one closest to this paw- spreads from its momentarily furled position, still covered in blue fire. With the cutting attributes of the wind chakra in it and a jerk of my shoulder and upper back, the wing cuts through the paw cleanly, going so far as to cut the two longest toes off. I hear the pain filled scream that practically roars from its lungs. The burning attributes of the blue fire has already cut in, cauterizing the wound on both the cut off toes and the now stumpy toes. I grin towards the stumps. However, what my Sharingan eyes catch but my body is too slow to react to, is the second paw that swipes down and catches me off guard. I scream in pain as the claws make contact with my much smaller frame, cutting me deeply and unforgivingly. The massive paw pins me to the ground, and the fire on my wings is snuffed out. The two heads snarl and growl in my face even as my claws dig into the pads of the toes that hold me down. The foot pushes down harder, making me scream in pain again. Why? Because with the way I'm pinned, it's awkward for my wings. There's another push, and another scream of agony. My wings! It broke my god damn wings!

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream out as the breaks in my wings' bones are only made worse. And just when I think the first head is going to chomp onto my own head, there's a frame in front of me. I see a kunai thrown at the head's eye. However, at the last second the dog's heads split into two separate bodies. How the hell does that work?! This allows the first head to dodge the kunai to its eye, however it makes it release me.

"Cross Taicho!" A familiar voice calls out, picking up my still stunned form, "Taicho! Snap out of it!". My frame is moved to on top of one of the few intact buildings in my fighting area. The rest of them have been burned down by my blue fire twisters.

"K-Kyofu," I mutter through the pain that washes through me in wave after wave. It's not as bad as having your wings ripped off, but it's still pretty damn bad. "I told you not to come back".

Kyofu smiles down to me a white toothed smile, "Long before you were Taicho, Kakashi Taicho engraved one thing into our heads as soon as he became Taicho. 'Those who don't follow the rules are scum. But those who leave their friends behind are worse than scum'. I'll gladly be scum if that means that it'll save my Taicho's life in return". His eyes trail to the side, but I can't see them from where I am. However, my Sharingan tells me that my entire team, along with a few other Anbu I've never met, "Team! On my mark aim for the wounds Cross Taicho left on the furthest right head's upper lip! Ready!...Aim!...Fire!". There's a shout of jutsu names ranging from fire to lightning to earth and wind. "Hana! Tsubaki! Come heal Taicho's wings! That fire technique looks to be our best bet!"

"Hai Fuku Taicho!" Two almost identical voice speak up. I am placed onto my stomach as Hana and her mother Tsubaki come to my aid. They're the only two medical shinobi on our team.

"Fuku Taicho, the heads never stop multiplying!" One voice says.

"Kyofu! Our jutsu are doing nothing! Everything's minor damage!"

"Son of a bitch," I hear the man grumble before he addresses the mother-daughter team. "How's it going?"

It's actually going a lot faster than I figured it would. I sigh as the pain finally fully subsides, but I know for a fact that they're not quite fully healed. The bones are, but the tendons that had been ripped are still being worked on, "We need a few more minutes, Kyofu," Tsubaki speaks up from my left wing. "Five minutes tops".

"You heard her! Men! Don't give up! Protect this village and our Taicho with your very last breath! Men! Women! Go!" He takes off himself as well, and I hear the onslaught of every member of my team attacking this massive beast that the long haired Pein stands on. After a few moments, I hear screams of pain and devastation. And yet I can't do anything else but lay here until my wings are better. I try to move them, only for a shoulder to be placed on my hand.

"Don't move Taicho. Please," Hana's voice is heard.

"How can I not?! Let me up! I need to protect them!"

"Taicho, if you move now, you'll mess up everything we did and your wings will be useless," Tsubaki places a hand on my shoulder as well, "If you move now, you're better off with ripped off wings". That fact keeps me still.

However, as I see one of four paws coming for myself, my eyes widen and my body tenses. However, instead of my frame being impaled by the claw, there's a splatter of blood, and I watch as though in slow motion as Kyofu moves in the way of the claw. Blood spatters my face and hair, one splat going fairly close to my left eye, and dripping down like a tear. Before me is the very man whom had saved me not once, but twice now from the beast that is the multi-headed dog. "K-Kyo...F-Fu," I whimper. Just as the healing stops, I stand and rush to the man whom is only a few feet from me. In seconds My hands are on his shoulders as the claw is pulled from his massive frame, as he stands at an impressive six foot five.

"T-Taicho...," he mumbles as blood drips from his lips and his chest cavity.

He slumps against my hold, and I lead him to the ground to lay down. "H-Hana! Tsubaki! Come heal Kyofu!". However, when I turn my head to look to them, I find nothing but headless bodies. My jaw drops, and a wave of sheer coldness comes over my frame. I look back to Kyofu as his eyes dazedly stay on my frame. "Kyofu! Stay with me. Do you hear me?! Kyofu don't you dare die! That's an order!"

Kyofu smiles lightly, dulling eyes meeting my tearful Sharingan ones, "Ahh, good. You're safe, Taicho. I was worried".

"Stop talking, Kyofu. Kyo, just...Just focus on living. Please," I tell him, putting a hand to the older man's face.

"I get to see my wife and sons now, Cross-chan," he tells me lightly, "Finally, after ten long years. I get to see them". They had died in a horrible fire created by an unknown source. It burnt his wife and his two sons- a ten year old and a five year old- to death. "Let me go".

"No! No, please Kyofu. Please! Just a little longer," I plead. Tears well in my eyes, and soon enough they're dripping onto his blood stained face.

A large hand reaches up and slowly wipes the tears from my eyes, only for them to well up with more that threaten to fall. A hand reaches up and holds his hand to my cheek, "Ahh, we'll see each other one day. Promise. But now...They're calling me. Goodbye, Cross Taicho. It was an honor to serve under you". And it's with that, that the hand that I hold becomes limp. I slowly lower it to the ground with a whimper. Oh Kyofu. Dear, dear Kyofu.

My eyes snap to the multi-headed dog, whom by now has at least fifty heads. A wave of rage washes through me. How dare that beast take my friend's life?! I stand, and silently make my way towards the beast, high in the sky. Once I'm above it, I centralize chakra to my right eye as my left one closes. The tomas in this eye spin, changing to the more advanced Mangekyo Sharingan, and I can feel the scleroses becoming blood shot. Wings furl to my back upon my command and I dive bomb as fast as the legendary Yellow Flash could move. My claws find a home the long haired Pein's chest, while the other hand has found a home in the dog's back and into one of the vertebra in its spine. The beast crumples, and I watch as long haired Pein stares at me silently and surprised. Pain pulses in my right eye, and I feel something like a tear drip down my face. Though when it lands on my enemy's face, it's red. "Amaterasu," I snarl lowly. The fire ignites from my point of vision, starting on the long haired Pein's face and consuming his body as I push off and away from him as to not get caught myself. I place a clawed hand to my face, trying to staunch the momentary bleeding of my eye. The blood flows through the cracks between my fingers. I pant as I stare down at the black fires that are said to be from hell itself. Funny. I make it seem that my blue fire is from hell. For a good while I watch those fires, and then I look around once my eye has stopped bleeding.

However, faster than my Sharingan could track, something slams into me and sends me flying to the ground and in an unknown direction. My body slams into the ground with a heavy slam, my wings instinctively curled around my front while my arms slam down in an attempt to hook my claws on something that'll slow me down. However, I stop with an "Oof!" when nothing does stop me. I stand, my skin ripped but otherwise fine, and look around. Where did I land? As my eyes roam, I realize just how fucked over the village has become. Let's just say that it's not a pretty sight to look at. I hear coughing, and look around. There's someone alive here? Who? Where? I strain my ears to find the source of the sound, and ever so slowly, I get closer to the source. However when I make it there, I wish I hadn't. Laying there in a bloody heap is none other than the love of my life. A silver haired Jonin- former Anbu- by the name of Kakashi Hatake. I see no fatal wound, which must mean that he either has internal bleeding or he used up all his chakra. "KAKASHI!" I wail out and rush to his side, not caring for the fact that sliding to his side tears up my knees. "Kakashi!" I call again, gathering his torso into my hold and pulling his limp frame into my lap so that his face rests on my breast and rest of him lays against me.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Control Loss; Power**

"Cr...oss," he manages out as I slide down his mask in order to help him breath. "It's good that I got to see you".

"What are you talking about? 'Got?' You make it sound like you're dying," I infer with denial mixed in.

The silver haired man lets a weak smile spread across his face as glazed over mismatched eyes look into my Mangekyou Sharingan orbs. "That's because I am dying, Cross".

"No," I tell him, tears springing to my eyes and overflowing, trailing down my cheeks. "Don't you dare say that. Not you too. Especially not you".

Kakashi sighs, "Stop denying the truth, Cross. You knew that there was a possibility of this happening".

"But that doesn't mean I didn't want it to happen," I blubber pathetically. "I love you! You can't leave".

"But I can," he tells me, a small chuckle coming from him. Still, he lets out a stuttering sigh, "It's a shame. I couldn't protect Rin no matter what I did. I wish I could have. Maybe she'd be alive and well by now". His eyes are unfocused as he says this. However as he pauses and looks to me, they focus again. "What's worse...I didn't get to ask you to marry me. I was going to do that once we had taken care of Pein once and for all".

My heart stops. He was...Going to ask me to marry him? From past lessons thanks to Yugao, I remember that marriage is the legal bonding of a man and a woman during which they become husband and wife. It's basically the human version of two animal mates marking one another. And it's supposed to only happen if you truly, honestly love the person you're going to marry. If Kakashi was going to ask me to marry him then...He wanted to be by my side for the rest of his life. He wanted me to be his mate, his lover, his best friend, the mother of his children...My tears practically drown me as I think this over. "Then ask me now," I whimper out hoping that by some miracle if he does this, then he'll suddenly have all his chakra back as though nothing had happened.

Kakashi's black and Sharingan eyes meet my Mangekyou Sharingan eyes again. One hand takes a hold of the hand that keeps him up against me. The other one takes my free hand and places it to his lips, kissing the backs of my fingers. "Cross...Will you...," however, he doesn't finish his last words. The light in his eyes dims too much for him to handle, and within seconds the light in his eyes is gone. There is no life; I feel no heart beat even as he meets my gaze but doesn't see me.

My world...Is blank. In the background is the sound of crashes and the sound of Rasenshurikens being thrown and connecting with various things. However, my mind doesn't register this. In fact, my entire body registers nothing. Not even the fact that my chakra is rising to visible levels is noticed. My world...Is blank. Kakashi is gone. Why would life be worth living? Why should I continue to live when the one person who matters most is gone? Sure I've got lots of other important people- Naruto, Itachi and Sasuke for example- but if Kakashi isn't around I just...Can't. I cant! Blank eyes stare at the sky and my mouth hangs constantly open. Sadness, sorrow, despair, woe, melancholy. My body begins to shake as tears continuously stream from my eyes. My world...Is blank. Even though I've had my head tilted back to the sky, I know nothing has been coming from my mouth. Until now. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" This is the only thing that comes from my mouth even as two people whose voices I know well come to me. Even though with a right mind I know exactly who they are...Right now...They are strangers.

"Cross? CROSS!" Sasuke calls out, hands on my shoulders. But my mind doesn't recognize it as Ssuke's. Instead he's just a stranger randomly touching me. "Shit! Itachi!" I hear.

My screaming stops, and slowly yet surely my sorrow is being replaced by anger. How...How dare...Pein take away the love of my life! How dare he?! I'll kill him. Fuck the whole 'revenge is nothing but a dead end' bull shit. I'm getting my revenge. Kakashi. "KAKASHIIIIIIIII!" I scream his name.

"What's going on?" I hear Itachi demand as my vision becomes red. As it does this, it's no longer Itachi there, but the very monster who took Kakashi from me.

"I don't know," Sasuke is also the monster who took Kakashi from me. Why are there two? I don't know. Nor do I care. All those who look like Pein need to die. That's all that's going on in my head right now. "I found her screaming...Kakashi's dead, Itachi".

My frame begins to shake, getting Sasuke-Pein's attention. "I'll kill you," I tell him, eyes locked on Sasuke-Pein, "You took him. You took him from me!" My skin burns like it's on fire; it hurts and yet at the same time it feels so very good. I can feel the amount of chakra that I emit on a regular basis and when I try my hardest grow. More and more chakra gathers around me until...Something snaps in me. That roof that had been keeping my potential down...It's broken through by some sort of beast. In my mind's eye, that roof that had once been holding me back is replaced by rubble and some sort of beast. That's the best I can describe it as. Its ears are long and pointed. Talons rest on its hands and claws on its toes, it bears long curved horns on its forehead, a long fur covered tail, and by the looks of things the fangs are much too big for the mouth. It is a silhouette against the sun above me, so I can't see any real feature other than those along with a pair of feathery wings. The only thing I really do see that's not those, is an inverted Mangekyou Sharingan staring at me. It offers me a taloned hand, eyes wide and savage but at the same time...Inviting. Curious, I reach forward with a simply clawed hand. I didn't figure I'd be able to reach the creature from the floor, but apparently in my mind, I can do anything. The moment my claws touch the creatures talons, everything turns black.

THIRD PERSON POV

What Sasuke and Itachi see as Cross jumps to her feet is something truly frightening. As Cross stands there, multiple things happen that neither Sasuke nor Itachi figured she could do. While they knew she could create something similar to Naruto's tailed beast cloak, they didn't know it could be so menacing. While normally looking like a bird when she uses Aoikassai: Jigokuen no Tori, this cloak of blue fire is something different. It frames her form, wings and all. On the cloak's forehead though is a pair of blue fire horns that dance like the rest of the cloak. If they thought her claws were long before, they'd have to correct themselves, as the bone claws that sprout from her wrists push more bone out, making the claws make the fingers three times longer than usual. A blue stripe runs along the center of each claw. On her toes, similar claws are formed, however they're no where near as long as her new talons. They're just long enough to be able to gouge open a throat if need be. Her ears, which are normally lightly tapered, become even more pointed, to the point that the tips are long and stick out from under hair and far from her head. From her spine sprouts a new tail, however this one is covered in black fur, blue fire dancing on the tuft at the end. Her fangs are longer to the point that they stick out of her mouth even with it closed. However seeing as her fangs are currently bared, they bite into her lower gums mercilessly, causing blood to drip down. Her Mangekyou Sharingan is inverted, making her irises black, and the pin wheel pupils red.

"Sasuke," Itachi states lowly as Cross's new form focuses on him, "I want you to back very...Slowly...Away...Very slowly now". His eyes are locked on Cross as she continues to mutter about killing Sasuke, claiming that it was he who killed Kakashi, not Pein. What's odd is...She's not under a genjutsu. Her eyes would have shown her that. The younger does as the older Uchiha says, keeping his eyes on the currently rather dangerous woman.

"I'll kill you...I'll kill you!" She snarls out over and over, slowly following Sasuke as he backs away. The anything left alive- plants, worms- beneath her clawed feet dies from the fire that surrounds her, and the earth becomes charred.

Itachi, worried for his little brother's well being takes a hold of the girl's attention, "Cross, snap out of it. It's Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha! We've done nothing to deserve this level of anger!"

Cross's head whips in Itachi's direction, "I'll kill you," is the only response he gets. Suddenly, her talon covered hands come together and begin to dance in the form of weaving handsigns. However it's not her fingers that cross over like they normally would. Instead, it's her talons.

"Shit...Itachi," Sasuke speaks up, "...We need to end this as soon as possible". The young man's eyes are wide and slightly frightened. He knows well what's going on. It's something Cross had learned to do during her time on the mission to kill Orochimaru. Whether the girl realizes it or not, she's a ninjutsu genius. While the fire is still not on par to Amaterasu, it is incredibly hot.

"I'll kill you..." Cross intercepts before Itachi can ask Sasuke to explain. The talons finish their weaving, "Shirokassai: Ten no Ikari!"

There is a rumbling of thunder above head, causing both Uchihas to look to the sky in wonder. However, neither of them should have. Cross takes that moment to rush forward and at Itachi at full speed. Inverted Mangekyou Sharingan eyes blazing with anger, Itachi only manages to see the back of her hand coming at his face. The only thing he can do is put up his arms to block. However this does little, as he's still sent flying to the side and crashing into the ground. There is another rumble of thunder, and then something happens. White...Balls of fire begin to crash to the ground, burning and obliterating everything in their path. It's not a small scale attack either, hitting the entire village and those that aren't fast enough to dodge.

"Itachi!" Sasuke calls for his older brother, worried for him as fire crashes onto the rubble that Itachi landed in. "ITACHI!"

"Hush Sasuke," Itachi states, thanking god that that had just been a clone, as he appears at the boy's side. "That was just a backhanded slap, and yet it obliterated my clone on contact". They move out of the way as a white fire meteor crashes down where they were once standing. "You're right. We do have to finish this rather quickly. Sasuke, we need to get her pinned down. I'll do the pinning since I have Susanoo, and that fire can't burn him. I need you to distract her until Susanoo is ready. Once I have her pinned, I should be able to get into her mind and figure out just what's going on".

Sasuke pulls Itachi out of the way, the man had been so busy planning and trying to figure out a way to get to Cross that he didn't see a meteor headed his way. "What if you can't get into her head?" He questions as they land out of the way.

"Then we try together. Susanoo won't hurt you if I tell him not to; you can enter him," is the simple answer, "Now go! We have little time to waste before she destroys the entire village or kills the both of us". Something he's sure she wouldn't be happy about at all.

Sasuke nods before heading for the woman, drawing the sword he had learned to use while under Orochimaru's wing. With Sharingan eyes blazing, he rushes for the Fallen Angel, sword now laced in lightning chakra. Sword clashes with fire laced talons on one hand. As Sasuke reaches down to grab a kunai, her tail wraps around him. And just like every other part of her body, it's covered in blue fire. Sasuke throws his head back and screams in pain. Then there's a foot colliding with his gut, pushing him away as her tail releases his wrist. His eyes go to the wrist that her tail had grabbed, a rather nasty sight. He winces as he looks at a bad second degree burn. All up his forearm are lacerations that quickly cover his arm in blood.

"Die! Shirokassai: Tengoku no Senbo!" Cross takes a deep breath before opening her jaws and letting white fire come from her as though she were a dragon.

Sasuke dodges this fire, only for his Sharingan to tell him that he needs to move again. His eyes widen as he sees that the stream of fire is...Following him! Son of a bitch. He grits his teeth before dodging again the fire, only for it to follow him again. And so a game of cat and mouse occurs. The fire envious as he has life and it does not. One more time he dodges, only to find himself getting punched in the gut by a fire laced hand. Upon contact the cutting attributes of the blue fire lash out at his stomach. He goes flying back, blood coming from his mouth not once, but twice. Once for when he was hit, and the second time when he makes contact with unforgiving rubble. He raises his blade to block the blue fire laced talons that come for his face. And, ignoring the pain that will come with touching her, a foot sends her flying away from him.

"Itachi! Are you ready yet?!" Sasuke demands, looking down at the leg that the wind attributes of the blue fire had done to it. That is, tearing up cloth and skin mercilessly. If Sasuke thought that the blue fire that Cross wielded was strong, then he was right. What he was wrong about it is that there actually is cutting attributes to it like that of wind. In his time as a Genin, he never really got to see Cross fight. He never saw the cuts that were crated by the wind attributes. So, when he did hear about the wind element that helps make up the blue fire, he didn't believe it- loving of his angel or not. No way could someone just naturally mix the two attributes before releasing one jutsu and then the other. It had to be a Kekkei Genkai. But when Cross stated that she had none, he decided that the fire just made it seem that there cuts on the victim. And that her affinity for fire was so strong, that it went over the abilities of an Uchiha's affinity for it- let alone his own. However as he looks down at his leg, he realizes that yes, there's definitely wind nature in there. And yes, Cross is doing this without a Kekkei Genkai in her system. Finally, yes, her affinity for fire is higher than an Uchiha's. Yet also, her affinity for wind is just as high. A perfect balance of the two? It's quite possible.

Itachi is silent and then, "Move Sasuke!" With simply just the rib cage and two arms about him, Itachi hopes that this is enough for him to take Cross down and pin her. He honestly hopes that he won't have to take to the full form of his Susanoo, because not only then would he be useless after words, but in this state Cross' urge to fight and harm could get her killed. As Itachi moves Sasuke out of the way by using one of Susanoo's hands to pull him out of the way, Cross' frame crashes where the younger Uchiha had once been. He pulls his little brother into Susanoo's body and places a hand on his shoulder. "Stay close to me," he tells him as he commands Susanoo's arms to lash out at Cross.

The Fallen Angel retaliates with a dome of white fire covering her person with nothing but a gesture. However, as the fire is transparent yet solid, they can see her talons crossing over and over one another in the form of signs. "Shirokassai: Tengoku no Hiai!" Much like three years ago, when Gaara had formed that ball of sand to protect himself, spikes of fire form on the side facing Itachi, Sasuke, and Itachi's Susanoo. With a sudden release of her hands, fingers and talons splayed, the spikes fire themselves at the Uchihas. However, Itachi isn't worried as the fire collides and does little to the incomplete Uchiha jutsu. It's not one of the strongest out there for nothing you know. Cross snarls in frustration as nothing really happens, and therefore takes to the air with a push of fire clad wings. A growl comes from her person, and again her talons weave. "Shirokassai: Tengoku no Fukushu!" The blue shroud is layered over by a white fire one. Much like Jigokuen no Tori, this baby is in the shape of a bird. However, it's much more solid looking. Looking like that of a white falcon, its wings are feathered by white fire, and a pair of eyes that glow a hot blue glares down with Cross at the boys and their chakra made human-esque creature. A growl comes from her, and wings furl before she begins to fall straight for the boys. As she does so, her body spins. Much like the drill beaked bird she fought earlier, her frame spins fast enough that she looks like a fire made drill. She comes in contact with a risen hand of Susanoo's. Upon contact, the spinning stops. And while her talons latch onto a thumb, the white falcon shroud's talons wrap around the entire hand. And then, when she realizes that she can't harm the thumb and that the fire isn't working fast enough for her liking, the jutsu is canceled. She lands low in a crouch before weaving her talons one more time. "Why won't you die?" And now she's crying even though she looks so savage. Both Uchihas agree that it's rather disturbing looking "Why? Either die or bring my Kakashi back! Your choice!" Her talons settle in an odd seal, which looks like half tiger half bird.

"Shit. Itachi, if you're going to catch her, you'd better do it now!" Sasuke tells his older brother. He'd never seen this jutsu, but he's seen the damage it can do. It's a terrifying sight, and something he never wants to be on the wrong side of.

"Daten-shi no Kassai:-" She's cut off as suddenly two hands grab her wrists and separate her hands. Another hand pins her wings down while the last hand holds her head in place.

Itachi walks forward from within Susanoo, his body tired and sore. Sure, unlike Sasuke he hasn't been thrashed around. However, Susanoo is hard on his farm to keep up. It is for any Uchiha. His eyes look down to the inverted Mangekyou Sharingan before him, and he crouches over her, protected by Susano's being. "I'm sorry for this, Cross" he tells her, "Tsukiyomi!" However, when normally he's brought into his own genjutsu to mess with his victim, nothing happens even as he tries again. His brows furrow. Why won't it work? His her mind so focused on Kakashi that it's not registering the genjutsu? Is that even possible? He looks over his shoulder. He doesn't have enough chakra to do this- and Tsukiyomi again. "Sasuke. Henge into Kakashi. Make sure you're battered and beaten, and that you look tired. Make sure you're a perfect copy".

"What?" Sasuke's brows furrow, "Why?"

"I think her mind is so focused on Kakashi, that something- I don't know what- isn't allowing me to use Tsukiyomi on her," the older Uchiha answers.

Sasuke doesn't understand, but doesn't fight nor question the older sibling. Instead, there's a poof of smoke, and standing there in his place is a very worn out, very tired Kakashi. His hair is messed up, his clothing ripped and torn, blood here and there, he even holds himself tiredly. In essence, becoming the perfect copy of Kakashi was easy as pie for the younger Uchiha thanks to his Sharingan. Unknown to all but himself the only reason why he's able to pull off Kakashi's lower face, structure wise, is due to the fact that he now knows what it looks like, having found Kakashi's body not long before Cross went crazy. Catching on to what his brother wants, he walks forward, and kneels directly next to Cross, Susanoo protecting him. "Cross...Cross," he calls, aiming to get her attention.

Cross, whom had been thrashing as best as she could, stops her nonsense upon hearing Kakashi's voice. Her inverted Mangekyou Sharingan eyes latch onto the silver haired man's form, and widen. "K-Kakashi?" He looks exactly the way she left him after he died. Battered and beaten and tired, mask down, hair mused, the whole of it.

"Cross," Sasuke-Kakashi tells her, "I need you to calm down. Calm down for me; you're going to hurt yourself if you keep on going like this".

"But...But Kakashi I thought you were gone! You left me alone! You died!" Cross insists.

Sasuke-Kakashi offers the woman a smile, and brings his frame closer to her own, gently hovering over her frame and placing a hand on her cheek, "I'm okay now. Tired, but okay; medical shinobi found me thanks to Itachi and Sasuke; you owe them one. Now...I need you to calm down. Take away the fire. Return to normal; you're not you when you're like this".

"How can I know you're not Pein trying to confuse me?" Cross's brows furrow.

"Pein is off fighting Naruto and the others. Naruto came back from his training; you'd be proud of him really. He's gotten so strong in such little time," Sasuke-Kakashi answers.

As Sasuke works his magic, Itachi can't help but wonder just how his younger brother is pulling his off so perfectly. The look of love in his eyes as Kakashi...It's so real. Most shinobi can't produce that look as well as Sasuke's managing to do so at the moment. Wait...Don't tell him...Sasuke is still in love with her? Itachi sighs. Why? Why is his little brother so suck on a woman whom has found the love of her life? He doesn't want his brother to suffer heart break and yet...Here he is, playing to be the man he wishes he was. Itachi mentally sighs.

Cross looks to the side, only for her attention to be taken back by Kakashi, "You can say 'hi' when he's done and when you're back to normal. Right now I need you to take away the fire, and relax. Relax, Cross". Slowly, the tenseness in her body fades, fangs going back to regular length, Mangekyou orbs returning to Sharingan and then black. Talons turn back into claws, and then sheathe themselves. The last things to go are the horns, the length of her ears, the claws on her toes and the fire.

When the fire is gone, she reaches up a hand and places it on Sasuke-Kakashi's cheek, which a battered hand presses closer to him. "Come here," Cross commands, using her other hand to lay on the back of his head and bring his face to hers. Their lips touch in a loving kiss, before separating. "I love you, Kakashi".

Sasuke-Kakashi is silent for a moment, and Itachi can understand why, "I love you too, Cross. You don't know how much I do".

A smile spreads across her face and the hand that's still on her cheek rubs a thumb there, "I have a good idea," she tells him. "Where's Sasuke and Itachi?"

"Sasuke is getting medical attention, he did most of the fighting against you so you wouldn't hurt yourself or anyone else more than you did. You did a decent number on him," Sasuke-Kakashi tells her. "But Itachi is here, why don't you say 'hi'?"

Cross nods and looks to Itachi, whom by now has released his hold on Susanoo once the fire was gone. The oldest Uchiha offers a smile to the Fallen Angel as she returns one, "Hey Itachi".

"Hey Cross," Itachi greets. As they meet gazes, he places a hand on her shoulder, "Tsukiyomi". Before she can realize what's going on, she only has time for her black eyes to widen and her jaw to open before she slumps back to the ground where she's been laying. It's then that Sasuke releases the Henge with a sigh. Itachi looks to his younger brother and places a hand on his shoulder, "You hurt yourself too much".

"I love her," Sasuke tells him, "Even if that means that I can't have her, I want her to be happy. I realized this during our mission together. But... I want her so badly...So very badly, Itachi, that it hurts every time I see her and Kakashi close. Even with the resolve I have, it hurts".

"It'll always hurt, until you realize that there is a woman that's meant just for you, Sasuke. And when you find her, you'll realize that Cross wasn't the one for you. You'll see". Itachi assures before picking up Sasuke's frame. "Let's go see if we can't put her somewhere where she'll be safe. I did a real good number on her, so she'll be out of it for a good while.


	30. Chapter 30

_Sad to say, this is the last chapter of Jigokuen No Taka. I thank everyone who has been so kind as to follow and favorite a certain kunoichi's story. However there is good news! I have written a sequel to this baby. It is finished and ready to be published. I will either be putting up the first couple chapters today or perhaps tomorrow! It's a very different setting from Jigokuen No Taka. Amazingly so. But I liked writing it. Like this story, there's a lot of step by step writing, where I literally took dialog and put it into my story. However it is fast paced I'd like to say. Give it a look see if you want :). Never the less, enjoy the last chapter, "War". _

**Chapter 30: War**

I open my eyes to everything being white. The area above me is white, to my left and right is white, even below me is white. I'm not laying down, so I'm not in a hospital- plus there's no beeping of a monitor or anything. In fact...There's no...Nothing. "Hello...?" Nothing. "So...What? Is this supposed to be purgatory or something? Cause even though it's white, this sure as hell ain't heaven. And this sure as heaven ain't hell". I sigh and stomp my foot, ignoring the clicking sound that echos all around me now. "...And now I'm bored".

"Man, you really haven't changed much, have you girlie?" I hear one voice speak up to my left. However as I turn to face the owner, I see nothing.

"Now now, no need to be so mean. She's only confused," a voice states to my right, a chuckle in his voice that is identical to the first's.

"Well, she's neither changed nor does she know what's going on so she's confused," a third voice speaks up, identical to the last two and from right in front of me.

I scoff. "Really? Talking to yourself? I don't know who you are, but would you mind telling me just what's going on? One minute I'm trying to not kill Sasuke and Itachi but my body insists on doing so, and the next I'm kissing Sasuke who is Henged into Kakashi, and then the next I'm here! Care to tell me what's going on?! Is this a new version of Itachi's Tsukiyomi or something?!"

"Hey! We're not part of a genjutsu, girlie, have some decency to have an open mind!" The first voice scolds.

The second voice follows up with, "We haven't been gone for that long, Cross. Did you forget about us?"

And now the third, "Like I said before, she's just confused. Why don't we show ourselves?" That would be nice. Thank you voice number three.

The one on my right has his hair on the longer side compared to his brothers, bangs choppily framing his face and the rest of it being pulled into a short braid that I bet you money is only down to between his shoulder blades. He is obviously Anbu, what with the tattoo of it being on his right arm. Over the standard Anbu uniform is a haori, the sleeves' edges along with the bottom hem being jagged like a saw. His skin is on the slightly tan side, like a mix of mine and Naruto's own complexions. But it's his eyes that get to me the most. They're not scary or anything, they're just very different. The one is at least. And I'll tell you why. His left eye is blue like ice, the pupil black and round. The right eye however, is not normal, nor is it human. While the iris and scleroses are both black as the sky on a new moon's night, the pupil is as red as blood or fire, and slit like a reptile's.

The one in front of me is identical to the first one. He may be a bit bulkier, but it's hard to tell. None the less, like his brother over the standard Anbu gear is an identical haori when compared to his brother's. His hair however is not long to the point of being put into a braid. Instead, it's about to his shoulders and styled to the point that the symmetry is perfect. Two bangs lightly falling over both his eyes while the rest neatly rests on his shoulders. His eyes are three different colors. The left eye's iris and scleroses is gray, the pupil slit like a reptile's and being of an ice blue color. While although the right eye's iris and scleroses are also gray, the pupil is slit like a reptile's but red like blood or fire.

The final one has auburn hair like his brothers, though it's naturally windswept with the top layer being on the spiky side and the other layers are straight and end at his ears. Also just like his brothers, his frame is well built, as any shinobi's body should be unless their genetics say otherwise. Standing at a solid height of at least six foot one like the other two, he's definitely a handsome man. However just like his brothers, his eyes are odd even by my standards. The right eye is a nice spring time green, like that of freshly grown leaves or grass after a long winter. But the iris is white, just like the scleroses naturally is and should be. However, he doesn't look to be blind due to this. The iris is slit like a reptile's, and a color that reminds me of winter skies.

My eyes are wide and there is nothing but a surprised pair of orbs as I look at the three men before me. "Y-," I try, however the words won't come from my mouth.

"None of our names begin with a 'Y' hot stuff," the one on my right tells me with a chuckle, arms crossed over his chest.

"You...," I try again, eyes flickering between each man before me.

"Good start. Now more words," the one to the left offers, face identical to the one on the right and the one in front of me.

The one in front of me shakes his head with a roll of his eyes, "Come now, she hasn't seen us in a while; give her some slack".

It's only this time that I actually manage to make more than just a single sound or a single word, "You guys are supposed to be dead!" I feel tears spring to my eyes, "What are you doing here?" And the tears fall. "A-Am I dead? Where's Kakashi?"

The two on my sides put a single hand on my shoulder, while the one in front of me puts both his hands there. They talk as one, their tone of voice perfectly in sync, just like their words, "You aren't dead, Cross, you're just dreaming".

My brows furrow, "Dreaming? Why am I dreaming? If I am, then wake me up!...You...You three have to know what's going on! I can't just let Naruto fight all on his own! It's not right!" I pull from their hold, leaving them to line up in front of me. My new tail- since when did I have a tail?!- lashes back and forth behind me as to show my worry and confusion. I don't understand. I don't get it. Where am I if I'm dreaming?

"We know what happened," Saiai sighs out, "It's already done and over with, Cross. Pein is dead".

"How is that even possible?" I demand, "I'd only been out of control months ago!"

"Time here moves a lot slower than it does in the outside world; a month has already gone by. Time is moving forward, and you are not part of it for now," Churitsu tells me simple, arms clasped behind his back like a true military man.

Nikun picks up from there. I hate it when they do this, I really do. Why can't just one of them talk? "You've also been moved to Suna in order to assure that your health levels don't deplete to the point of them having to let you go; the hospital in Konoha was destroyed when Pein turned Konoha into a crater". Pein turned Konoha into a crater? How? "How? By using a jutsu provided to him by the Rinnegan: Shinra Tensei". How did he know I was going to ask that? "Because one, it's written all over your face. Two, here, we can read your mind".

I shake my head. Konoha. The place I had called home for at least eleven years...Is practically gone! And done by nothing but a handful of people! I shutter. I wish I was there to kill them over. "You never really did answer my question. Where is 'here'? Nirvana? Heaven? Hell? Some alternate dimension that everyone deals with after death?"

Churitsu chuckles and shakes his head, "Nothing like either of the first three. Nirvana doesn't exist, for one. Heaven and Hell do though. Never been to Hell personally, but I hear that if you're strong enough, it's a real riot down there. Kind of like a world where the worse of a person you were alive, the better you are off dead. Only the weak get punished". Shit. It sounds like a horrible place. "It's a twisted place, is more like it. Anyways, 'here' is more like the forth option. Not alternate, as that would mean that you'd be back home, as a different person, but in the same place. But more like a...Side dimension if you will. Kind of like where Summons come from. If not a side dimension, then a pocket one".

I manage to follow along, if only barely. "So...Now what?" I question.

"Now," Saiai begins, crouching as though about to sit and in turn a chair appears under his butt. His brothers repeat the process. But when I try to do that, I just end up straight on my ass. This makes them chuckle as one. "We tell you what you're missing. We can see what's going on, the big man up stairs gave us that ability just for coming to see you. Hear that? You're special". Yea. Okay. "Anyways, here's what's going on the down low. The village is still under construction, for one. But that's nothing compared to what's going on. You know that Tobi guy that killed us and almost killed you?"

My eyes narrow and my hands clench tightly, "Of course I know him," I snarl. One hand unclenches and goes to my neck, fingers the scar he left and worsened on my neck the two times he attacked.

"Well," Nikun continues, "Turns out that that guy, is no ordinary asshole who likes to kill. His name is Madara. You know, the one who fought the First Hokage? Yea. Some how he's still alive and kicking".

"So?" I snap, "What's that have to do with what's going on now?"

"Everything," Churitsu tells me with a shrug. He's the one that was really pulling the strings behind the Akatsuki, and the gathering of the tailed beasts. In short, he plans on using the Ten Tails' power to turn the entire moon into a Sharingan eye, and place everyone under a genjutsu where everything happens as that person wants it to be. No pain, no worry, no death, just life, happiness and good feelings".

I blink stupidly upon hearing this, "You've gotta be kidding me," I demand but get a shake of their heads. "And the 'big man upstairs' can't do anything about it?!"

"It doesn't work that way, girlie," Saiai tells me, "All he did was create us, and then gave us the will to do anything and everything on our own if we so wish. He can't control something that he is no longer the master of. All his job is, is to watch and judge us when we die. If we're bad, we go to Hell, and if we're good, Heaven. Of course there's the twist of reincarnations if he feels we can change, but that's another story on its own".

I stand up before pacing back and forth in front of the three, "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" I spin to face the three, "And there's nothing I can do?! Get me the hell out of here! Kakashi wouldn't want me to just sit around and do nothing until I wake up or whatever!"

Nikun innocently raises his hand like a fearful school child trying not to get yelled at by their pissed-off-for-whatever-reason teacher. "Umm...Yea...About him," I whip around from my current position of pacing and closest to Saiai. He ducks lower into his seat and his shoulders. The look on my face clearly reads a snarled out 'what?!' Not the most pretty thing you wanna be facing it seems. "He's...Not dead," Nikun informs.

My eyes widen and my face drops from the snarl, "...What?" How can Kakashi not be dead? "I swear, Nikun, if you're just yanking my chain I'll kill you".

Churitsu shakes his head, hands waving in front of him in defense of his little brother, "He's not yanking your chain. Kakashi isn't dead. You see, Pein was actually a man named Nagato with the Rinnegan. He used the Six Paths of Pain to control the bodies- the long haired one and the one you thought to be Pein- to work from nothing from a cave due to the fact that he himself was crippled in the legs. Anyways, he used a technique that brought back those who recently died in the invasion at the cost of his own life"

All is silent for a good five minutes until I feel tears drip down my face. However they're not sad tears. Oh no. Not sad at all. "K-Kakashi is...Alive?"

"You got that right girlie," Saiai chuckles out. "Now...On a scale from one to ten...How happy are you right now?"

"Really, you're gonna ask her that?" The other two question with a raise of their brows.

"Ten thousand!" I beam to them. I literally find myself hopping up and down with glee. I grab a hold of the first person I can, which turns out to be Churitsu. I take a hold of his haori and pull him into a tight hug. We spin around a few times before separating. I now grab onto Nikun, "When can I go and see him?!"

He opens his mouth in a silent 'uhhh', before looking to Saiai. "I'm afraid that the whole berserk thing did a lot more damage to your body than you've realized. While it didn't have enough time to show on the outside, on the inside your body was being torn apart. You're going to have to wait a while until you can actually see him".

My smile turns into a frown, "And just was that...Monster?"

Saiai tips his chair back, balancing it on its two back legs ad he does so with the grace of a living shinobi, "That...Was the demon blood in you talking. Well...More like screaming. We don't know what kind of demon Orochimaru found and used to create you, but whatever it was, it was very...Dark spirited". Yea, no kidding. "And unless you spend a good while away from the village, I don't think you'll ever be able to control that side of you".

"Wait...What?" I don't get it.

"We're just going by what the boss said," Churitsu tells me, "So we can't really go into further detail with how things work with you. Not with the information we were given at least. However, we can tell you this: When a Fallen Angel is created, while in the mother's stomach a small war goes on between the Angel blood and Demon blood in the child's body- the two types are different enough to cause such an occurrence but similar enough to not kill the child. If the demonic blood wins over, that's what normally creates a stereotypical Succubus or Incubus. But if the angelic blood wins over, then while you're still a Succubus or Incubus depending on your gender, you are more human looking and have a more 'human' conscience- in that what is right in wrong. The demonic blood is also set into a dormant state. However, there apparently are times when someone like you- when the angelic blood won during your creation- gets so angry, that the dormant demonic blood awakens, and offers power. In your instance, you were so angry and sad, and unknowing of what manifestation the demon blood would take on upon awakening, that you took the power. Then you lost control. That's the best way we can explain it; sorry if it makes no sense".

He's right. That does make no sense at all. "So...What? I can't see him until my body is all better? Where the hell am I if Konoha is destroyed?"

"Suna," they answer as one.

"And now I just...Wait?"

"Now you just wait," they're too good for that unison thing as it is. Tch.

"Fine," I say, and lay onto my back with a huff, "I'll wait. I'll wait as long as I have to to see him again. You said I'm not dead, so you guys can't make me wait forever".

And so, I do wait. I wait for what seems like years to me. Most of the time, I lay there. Other times, I spar with the boys like old times. Or we just talk about those old times. There was one time where I asked what it was like to die. They said it is like how I feel now; the weightlessness, the lack of sense of time, all that good nonsense. Save that's when you're dying. When you're actually dead. They told me that actually being judged, is something entirely different. It takes the 'boss' little time to judge you. A look is all he needs to tell whether you are worthy of going to Heaven or not. However that doesn't make it an easy choice. As after all, what if someone from Konoha meets up with someone from Iwa during the last Shinobi war? That'd cause some issues that's for sure. Everyone's happiness has to be taken into thought, just as whether the person is pure or not. Luckily, those from Konoha and Suna often go up instead of down. Meaning that when I'm dead, Kakashi and I will still see one another- even if one of us has to wait for the other for a long long time, which would most likely be him.

And then came the day of my departure. How did I know it'd happen? A gut feeling is all. I sigh as I stand before the three men who I held as each of them died due to the very man who has begun the Fourth Great Shinobi War. "I wish I could bring you guys," I tell the Tsu brothers, a frown marring my lips.

"Don't worry about it," Saiai smiles out to me, arms crossed over his chest casually, "We'll see you again".

"And when that happens," Churitsu offers, "We'll see everyone else too. But that doesn't mean you can up and die on us, got it?"

As Nikun begins to speak, things become brighter and brighter, kind of what happens when you stare at the sunset and then eventually at the sun. "Oh! And when you do get back, we demand you play the piano; we've got those upstairs. We miss your music".

I smile and nod before raising a hand in the form of a wave, "Deal. I'll tell everyone that you're doing well and that you guys say 'hi'". It's by now that my vision is completely white. Like someone just turned off the sun, my vision suddenly becomes so deep a pitch black that for a moment I think I'm blind. The first thing that comes to me is feel. Under a stiff and sore frame is a none too comfy bed. Yea, I'm not that happy with the cushion I lay on, let's just say that much. Next up is hearing, of course, and what I hear is the annoying 'beep beep beep' of a heart monitor.

"Oh good, you're waking up at last!" I hear a male voice speak up from not too far from my position. Finally, it is sight that's given to me next. What I open my black orbs to is not just a white ceiling, though. No no. Looking down at me is a boy with sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. My first thought is to act upon shinobi instinct. And for me that's- "Wait wait wait wait wait! Cross! Stop!" My unsheathed claws stop just before his trachea. "Phew!" The young man of a decent six foot two inch height sighs from under me and on the tiled floor.

"Who are you?" I question, brows furrowed. My claws remain unsheathed- I'll be needing them for the war.

"Reihei," the brown haired young man states. "I'm one of the only shinobi left in Suna to make sure it doesn't get attacked...Well...Actually I'm the only shinobi here. I was asked by Gaara-sama to stay and watch over you. He knows how much you mean to Naruto-san".

I raise a brow, "I see...," I sigh and run a hand through blue hair. "Well...I guess I'll be taking off then," I turn, and make my way towards the window of the sand based village.

"Wait wait wait wait wait! Cross! Stop!" He pulls on the fabric that I'm wearing. Wait...What am I wearing? I look down at myself and feel my face flush a light pink color. "You uh...You might want to get dressed". He's right. I'm in nothing but a hospital gown.

I turn as he releases the fabric, "You...Wouldn't happen to have my old clothing...Would you?"

"Well...," he looks around before smiling and motioning towards the chair not far from what I assume to be the room's bathroom, "Here we are! It's not exactly the same as your old stuff...I don't know what it was made out of, but even though it was tough as all hell it was beaten and battered when you got to us. But we did manage to fashion a normal leather remake of your old clothing". He hands me the articles with a blush, "There's...Undergarments there too".

I brush his shyness to the side. I know that those that work in the hospital handle the naked human body more than a whore does. And that's only because of injuries. None the less I smile and nod, "Thanks Reihei". I turn and head into the bathroom. It doesn't take me long to change, claws combing through knotted hair and looking over my paler but surprisingly not thinner frame. I walk out barefooted, and hold up a finger to ask, "My shuriken and sandals weren't gotten, were they?"

"Umm...The pouches? They weren't with you. Your heels had broke apparently at some point," Reihei offers with a rub of the back of his head. "If you like, I have normal sandals in your size. And I'm sure I can find you some shuriken".

Not really what I'm used to but I'd rather them over a foot full of kunai. Still, I shake my head and smile, taking the sandals and sitting down to put them on, "Don't worry about the shuriken Reihei," I tell him. "I only really used them as a Chunin; after that I just carried them around just in case I truly needed them. Anyways," I stand to my full five foot seven height and look into hazel orbs, "I need to get to Kakashi. You should probably find the nearest medical camp and start helping out".

His brows furrow, "The nearest medical camp is at least three days' travel from here. But I'll try to get there as fast as I can. Kakashi-san...He was with Naruto-san last time I heard from intel".

"You know what? I'm going to help you get to that medical camp even faster," I tell him before letting my fingers tangle through signs and then slam my hand on the floor, "Kushiyose no Jutsu!" The tiger that appears before me is at least seven feet at the shoulder, with fire red eyes and blue fur with green stripes and a light blue under belly. I smile and my arms wrap around the large oddly colored creature. "Razboi; it's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Cross-sama," he chuckles out, wrapping a large leg around my frame and pulling me closer. "When Zeita-sama heard about your condition, she just about broke down then and there. Promise me you'll summon her if you truly need her".

"You know I will, Razboi," I smile. "I need you to do a huge favor for me. I need you to help my friend Reihei here get to the nearest medical camp. Kill whomever he tells you to; keep him alive. This guy's the one who kept my heart pumping all this time".

Razboi looks to the brunette with fire colored eyes as we separate, and then bows his head low towards him. "I will protect him as though he were my own cub," he vows.

I nod lightly, "Good. Get going right away; I have to go find Kakashi and hope he's still fairly decent in life span if you know what I mean".

"Very well," Razboi nods, "Come Reihei-sama, we'll be off right away".

"M-me? Oh! Right! He nods before making his way to the window and looking to me. Our gazes meet for a moment before he offers a tiny smile, "I hope you find him, Cross".

"I know I will," I assure lightly, "Now go or Razboi will leave you behind". It's not until the two are up and out the window that again my fingers tangle through the proper signs and my hand again slams on the ground. "Kushiyose no Jutsu!" This time, instead of just one, three tigers appear where my hand commanded they appear. The first tiger stands at about five foot three at the shoulder with electric blue eyes, sandy blond fur, a gray underbelly and normal black stripes. The second one has pale violet colored eyes, stands at six foot one, has a white underbelly, stripes that match her eyes and the rest of her body is a very pale tan. The third is the largest of the three, being at nine foot seven with white stripes, a black body, dark gray under belly and having tawny colored eyes. "It's great to see you three. But Lyst, Cer, Pament, I need different things from you".

"What's it you need, Cross?" Lyst speaks up, his voice curious as he looks up at me.

"From you, Lyst," I tell him as like I did Razboi I hug each of the male tigers close, my black fur tipped tail wagging to show its existence and the fact that despite the rushed nonsense, "Lyst I need you to find Sasuke. Find him as quickly as you can and support him in everything he does; do everything you have to in order to help him stay alive".

The middle one, Cer, smiles as he sits and curls his long tail over his paws neatly, "So we finally get to take part in the war? Who else are you sending out?" The smile turns into a crazed grin, "The whole tribe?"

I chuckle and shrug, "If that's what I gotta do; then it'll be your lot's job to keep alive or from dispelling. Got it? Cer, what I want you to personally do is go find Itachi; keep him alive with all you've got. Anyone pointed out as an enemy can be eaten whenever you want so long as it doesn't put Itachi in danger". This guy here has a thing for human flesh- don't know why though.

"And I am assuming you'll be wanting me to come with you then, Cross-chan?" A baritone voice questions as I look into tawny orbs, his large head tilted curiously.

"I wouldn't say that, Pament," I raise up a hand and shake my head, "You're more of a strategic guy. I want you to find a man by the name of Shikamaru Nara. I can't honestly give you any better leads than that. I'm sorry".

"That's fine, Cross-chan. But who's going to go with you?" Pament questions as Lyst and Cec head out the still open window.

"I promised Razboi that I'd bring Zeita along if need be since she almost broke down upon hearing about my condition," I tell him.

"Ahh, that. Yes, she was rather distressed," he nods, "Well. I might as well as get a start on things. Good luck, Cross-chan," a large and rough tongue is presses against my face in the form of a lick before he too is out the window.

"Good luck to you too!" I call after him and then sigh as my hands go through the signs needed one final time. "Kushiyose no Jutsu!" This time, the cloud of smoke is too large to count how many tigers I've called to the stage. Before me, and out of the window, I see all sorts of tigers. From all tints and shades of green to those of purple and blue. There are normal colored tigers too, of course, but still. Well shit. I've called everyone but Zeita and the elders. "Alright clan!" I speak up so those outside the building can hear me, "Your job is this! Find Konoha or Suna shinobi! Tell them that I'm alive and well and that you were sent by me! Keep them alive! I don't care what it takes! If it's hard to tell who is friend and who is foe, then I'm afraid you'll have to figure it out on your own; I don't have the answers to everything after all! I will warn you: this is war! There are those of you who prefer to heal rather than fight! However, you will be required to do the latter in order to survive! On that note: healers, follow the scent of herbs and the feeling of medical chakra! Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES will any of you be permitted to near the main battle field. Some of you aren't quite strong enough, or some of you are too jumpy. The only tiger I want fighting next to me is Zeita. Now...If there are no questions...Scatter!" They take off like bats out of hell upon my wave. I can't help but pause for a moment and grin. I love being a leader; it makes me feel bad ass. I sigh before finally putting my foot on the ledge myself, and pushing off for take off. My tail wraps around my waist for its own protection, obviously no longer a weapon of death and destruction since its apparent regeneration.

The things I see, hear, and smell as I fly high above the war that scars more than one portion of land are unsettling. I won't go into detail; I refuse to. However I will say this. The land is marred by the blood of friends and those unknown alike. I see not many Konoha shinobi that I knew let alone knew well, but they are there. They along with other village shinobi. Huh, so they did all band together to make one large army to fight against Tobi- er...Madara. I wonder how Itachi and Sasuke felt upon learning that someone of their own kin- someone who helped found the village no less- took down the entire clan in one day. It sure as hell explains to me just how the hell the massacre and him taking me down both times actually happened. I'm not a super hero or anything, but I'm not weak in the slightest and any shinobi worth their rank knows this.

However, it's when I come upon a camp of some sort that I decide to land. It's obviously a medical camp, and a rather busy one at that being closer to what I judge to be the main battle field- and therefore my goal. Things get interesting though, when a kunai is placed to my throat. I pause, slowly furling my wings to my back before as one my attacker and I move. They try to take out my throat, which they do- save that it's only a clone. Who I end up having a fist fight though is none other than- "Sakura?!"

"How dare you call me by my name you fake white freak!" She snaps out, a fist slamming into the spot where I once was.

"Okay, I know I've gotten paler, but that wasn't very nice," I tell her as my black eyes just manage to keep up with her. I smirk. Any faster and I'd need my Sharingan; impressive. "Can't you say a nicer 'hello' to your old teacher?"

"How dare you call yourself my teacher?! Cross-sensei is no one like you! Stop pretending to be someone you're not," Sakura takes a hold of the hand that had blocked her punch, and tries to move me into her knee that's waiting to greet my gut.

"No really! It's me! Cross! You know, Jigokuen no Taka? That Cross? I'm pretty sure I'm the only one with that name. Look, I've got the scars on my neck and back to prove it!" I insist. How can someone replicate me without it being found out to be a henge? I move around the punch that comes my way and sigh, placing a foot in her foot's way and quickly tripping her up. With a simple tug of her fisted hand and a twist of her falling body, you've got a flat Sakura with me on top.

"Cross-sensei," she coughs out. Ohh~ Someone didn't let out their air~. "Cross-sensei, I believe you, you can let me up".

"Oh no," I deny, "Why believe me now, hmm? Why not five seconds ago?"

"Everyone by now knows your new title; only the real you who was in a coma up till now wouldn't," she offers. New title? What new title?

I stand, letting her get up and brush herself off, "What the hell are you talking about? New title?"

She sighs and rubs the wrist I had grabbed, brushing herself free of dust still, "Itachi and Sasuke told us about that little berserk moment you had after Kakashi's death- well, he's not dead now due to...Never mind that's a different story-," one that I already know, "Anyways, they told of how easily you used those jutsus. So...Once Tsunade-sama heard about it and thought it over, she agreed that you were in need of a new title. By now, everyone knows about your new title for whatever reason"

I cross my arms under my boobs where they're most comfortable in this position, "And just what is my new title?"

Sakura smiles, "Kasai no Megami, Goddess of Fire".

Before I can even modestly insist that I'm no where near being a goddess- seriously I'm not- there's a snarl and a roar as well as some shouting. "That doesn't sound good at all," I mutter to myself before jogging in the direction of the scuffle. What I see makes me rather angry, and I can't help but snarl as I snap out to the camp's guards, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

One of them, a girl with brown hair and eyes spins around as she points a kunai at someone I find rather familiar. Damn she got here fast...Then again she has super long legs. "Some sort of tiger monster sent by the enemy has come for us! Says she was sent by someone named 'Cross' but I have no recollection of anyone with such a weird name".

I blanch, and then look to Sakura whom shrugs helplessly, "I'm Cross you helpless dolt. And that tiger you're trying to kill...?" I step forward and to the woman's side. She's maybe an inch or two smaller than I. I reach forward with my closest hand to her, and let a single claw rest on the weapon. With a bit of pressure and a cutting motion and, "She's one of my summons, you dolt. Her name is Vraci".

The eleven foot tiger that lowers a pink nose to touch the side of my head and blow a gust of air on me smiles as she speaks. "What are you doing here Cross? I thought you were looking for Kakashi and Naruto". The tiger is a mixture of greens. A light green underbelly with dark green-almost black- stripes and a forest green fur color to the rest of her. She's one of the few tiger summons I've got. Dark brown eyes are curious as she speaks.

I sigh and nod, "Yes but I decided to see if any one else already arrived at a medical camp. It just so happens that one of my students, Sakura, was here and well...Now here we are".

I turn on the ball of my foot and I hold up two clawed fingers. "Two things. One, Vraci is the top healing tiger in the clan. Feel free to ask her for anything; she'll be staying here. And two, where are Naruto and Kakashi?"

Sakura's eyes widen at the second question, "They're a good while north of us but-" she doesn't get time to ask as I take off, and head due north.

What I come to see after about five hours of flying is not only a giant ox-octopus, but a wild green jump suit with orange leg warmers, a mop of silver hair, and...Is that a giant fire-chakra made fox? Just what the hell kind of training did Naruto do- again- while I was asleep? I sigh and decide that a quick and fast introduction is made. However, that plan does nothing as I see an all too...Familiar mask. I stop my advance immediately, eyes wide. Not only in a fear of him that has been gouged into my soul, but also in a hate so powerful, that I think that that roof is almost ready to come off again. However, this doesn't happen; there will be no roof destruction today. While the ox-octopus thing is helping whom assume to be Naruto in some sort of form of his, I land silently on Kakashi's other side while Guy stands on his right. "Kakashi," I cause the two to jump, "That...Bastard. He's the one who attacked myself and the others," the others being Sasuke on one notice and the Tsu brothers on the other.

The two jump and turn to face me, and I greet one black orb and the other a Sharingan orb, "Cross...Chan?" Guy is the first to speak.

"That's my name," I grin to him, "Sorry I've been asleep so long".

Now it's Kakashi who speaks. I can see the relief in his eyes, and I'm sure he can see the same look in my own. Because that's all I feel right now. Even though the Tsu brothers would never lie to me- not even for their own gain- I couldn't help but have a part of me, most of me, that didn't believe them when they said that Kakashi was still alive. "No," he tells me, a smile obvious through his mask. Oh how I'd love to kiss those lips of his. Who knows how long it's been since I've done so, "Thank you for waking up and being here".

I smile back to him. And I can feel my tail wagging despite it being wrapped around my waist, "I wouldn't have it any other way. I love fighting at your side almost as much as I love you".

"I love you more than fighting at your side," he replies.

"Alright you two," Guy smiles out, "While I adore how brightly your flames of youth are burning right now, it's not the time to start making goo goo eyes". Damn Guy. When you're serious, you're serious.

Kakashi takes his eyes from me, and I from him, "You're right. Time to fight". He agrees with his long time rival.

"Finally," I snarl out, "I'll have a part in putting this man in his place".


End file.
